Days of Hana
by unwrittenaria
Summary: Not everyday a ninja baby with MMP joins your family. Team Possible faces all kinds of challenges as they deal with the growing flower in their care, and their own blossoming emotions, desires, and actions. Meanwhile a shadow rises in the east...
1. Day at the Mall: Hana in Club Banana

**Days of Hana**

**_Mall Part 1_**

**_by unwrittenaria_**

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Disclaimer: nothing below is mine. Cept the words and their combinations in this particular form. I own those. The ideas, names, and everything else aren't they all belong to Disney. Hope you enjoy.

Happens about two weeks after the Yono Ep. Loosely based on the elements brought up in the show and mostly following plot elements introduced in the show before branching off.

* * *

_Italics – thoughts_

**Bold – not sure? I'll make it up as I go**

( stuff in parentheses is supplemental?)

* * *

**MIDDLETON MALL **

**Saturday 1:36 PM**

"So Ron... how goes the Stoppable baby care secret service detail?" the redhead asked with a wry grin.

Just another stunning teen enjoying her day off at the Middleton Mall, fairly normal stuff. Although, on closer inspection, the company she kept was decidedly not.

A casual observer could be forgiven for not noticing who was next to her at first. Once they got over the novelty of seeing Kim Possible (world famous teenage hero) in the flesh, curiosity dictated a more thorough observation of the blonde next to her. A blonde teen who was (for those who recognized him) rather _strangely_ attired in a black suit with shades and an earpiece. The whole ensemble gave off the vibe of a presidential detail that had been hired but five minutes ago.

Ron Stoppable, boyfriend of the aforementioned teen heroine, and half of the duo that was known around the world as Team Possible, (and thankfully, so far, the only- _Jim/Tim Possible_) premiere group for dealing with troubles on a personal and global scale.

Rufus was nowhere to be seen. He had been bribed by Ron with nachos to cover sniper scouting. The pink naked mole rat made his way across the mall roof like a satellite. Tracking the trio, reporting any discoveries with the occasional words/squeaks that Kim could on occasion understand, but which constituted Ron's second language.

As Kim watched Ron talk into his throat mike she wondered idly, why her bf was doing so poorly in his courses.

_Maybe if they used nachos as incentive, and taught in naked mole ratinese he'd get the material. _Even as she considered it she knew it wouldn't work, but not before reviewing the bizarre idea again. _Uh-oh Possible, as much as I like Ron, I _so_ don't need to start thinking like him. _

She figured the mental weirdness was due to all the glances she was getting, or rather that _Ron_ was getting. A comically large device was strapped to his chest, looking like some kind of futuristic harness. The contraption in question was large enough to make her concerned about his balance. It defied description.

(That was to say it was a silver metal affair, the size of a backpack adorned with an incredible number of belts, latches, buttons, safety features, panels, and possibly warning stickers. _Was that-_**RADIATION**?)

_Wonder how long it took Wade to build this for Ron, or should that be how long did Ron take to wear Wade down? _The teen idly played with a lock of her hair as she wondered further whether Wade had a little _too_ much time on his hands.

_Mental note, talk to Wade about not building any old random thing Ron wants, even if Ron can be... persistent._ She couldn't help but flash back on the love ray debacle, chased by the loud buzzing of spinning tops of doom. Remembering _that_ made her forehead crease.

Kim glanced at the device again, peering past the metal, through the translucent visor to the grumpy eyes of an adorable baby Asian girl nestled at the heart of the harness. Hana Stoppable, adopted baby sister of Ron Stoppable, and currently seconds away from busting out into some crazy ninja skills to escape her prison.

Kim sympathized, having spent half an hour since arriving at Ron's house, to pick him and Hana up for their trip to the mall, trying in vain to talk him out of that...thing that had Hana in a death grip. She could guess at the reasons well enough. Young Hana Stoppable, at the grand old age of 3 years was physically talented beyond her years, and then some. A leaked family video online had caused simultaneous breakdowns in at least five Olympic coaches as well as severe depression amongst the general crowd of gymnasts in training around the world. The strain of parenting said super baby had resulted in the Stoppable parents second trip, in as many weeks, to get "out of town" for "business." That left Ron holding down the fort by himself.

When she had confronted him earlier in the afternoon he was quick to respond. Clearly, this was something he had put as much thought in as he did the Captain Constellation wiki articles.

"Look Kim, if there's anything I've learned about dealing with sis-" and here the smile was proud but weary, "-it's that _everyone, _but dudes with mystical monkey power, and badical ninja baby sitters are in over their heads."

Kim arched an eyebrow, and while she resisted crossing her arms it was a close thing.

"And you of course!" he recovered quickly.

"I mean I love my folks, but they were expecting a nice normal kid to bring up in their middle age, to fill the void when I left for college." He grinned at this. "That, or this is their way of saying I'd better graduate so Hana can have her own room." He joked a little lightly.

"That might be true enough Ron, but Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable love taking care of Hana. I've seen them with her." She felt the need to defend the Stoppables.

He held his palms up. "Don't get me wrong KP, diaper duty and late nights no problem. Ceiling chases at sugar rush speeds are another thing entirely." He admitted leaning in for the last part.

_I get it. It's not exactly the usual sitch, holding hands or just carrying Hana around like with the other kids I babysit. _Even as she rationalized the need for heavy duty equipment, she couldn't help her instinctual urge to help. The little girl looked so frustrated. Even as she watched, Hana futilely struggled in what Ron had dubbed "Super Hana Incapacitator Ninja Obstruction Build mk. I," or "S.H.I.N.O.B.I" for short.

She'd snorted a laugh at that even as she'd eventually have to go over with her boyfriend how the name might be giving a little something away_._

"Well _technically_ it's the S.H.I.N.O..II, since Hana ninja'd her way out of the mark one I built, but-" explained Ron in one of his ongoing rants that Kim usually tuned out after awhile.

Then a thought sparked, and she whirled around stopping both of them by grabbing Ron's hand. That proved to be a mistake. Ron, who was literally on fight or flight every moment of the way here reflexively froze, stopped, dropped into a crouch (producing Hana's first happy noise of the trip), and flipped to cover behind a muffin display stand nearby.

"Kim! Did you see something? Rufus I need a report now!" His hands flashed for a quick second, and suddenly a large light blue silver shield was in Ron's hand.

_Wha-?_ Kim's brain spazzed again for the second time in as many seconds, processing this new information. She marched up to him quickly.

"Ron. Calm down, I didn't see anything. I just wanted to ask you what you meant just now." She tried to explain quickly and quietly.

She couldn't help but let out a short yelp when Rons' unoccupied hand swiftly swung out to grab her around the waist, pulling her close enough that she was snuggled right up against him breathing into the crook of his neck. (The harness was smooth and egg shaped thankfully, so at least nothing was poking into her ribs.)

"_Ron?" _she hissed furiously, crimson. Immediately Kim fought warring feelings of embarrassment being this close to Ron in a public area, while his arm pressed her to him.

_Okay, so we've been hanging around each other since forever, it's not like we're strangers to being close, but he's never just grabbed me like that. _Her mind politely disagreed. _Fine, outside of missions I mean!_

"Let _go! _There's no danger Ron." She continued to whisper vehemently, struggling not to writhe around more than necessary.

_We're pros at hugging, held hands, kissed- a fair bit... so what's the sitch here?_ She thought in a haze of embarrassment, before realizing it was public nature of the whole thing that was driving her up the wall.

She had enough presence of mind to look at Ron, if he didn't notice her glare soon she'd be forced to trample his toe a little. The glance told her he was in his "zone" too busy looking for danger to notice her signals.

_Much as I love the whole boyfriend girlfriend deal, I'm not exactly ready to **be **with Ron quite just yet. We haven't exactly discussed it in detail, but he seems to be following my lead. _

That thought finally made her relax, even as the stares made her tense up again.

_Gotta admit Hana is a godsend. _

She knew from talks with other girls that having a new boyfriend, especially in the early stages, meant a lot of... boundaries needing to be set.

_For both sides, whether we realize it or not. _

With a new little sister though, Ron was forced to deal with so many new things at once he'd pretty much let her dictate the new pace of their relationship (their studies, missions, food-). Kim was slightly miffed that she had never been called back to help babysit since Hana had arrived.

_You'd have thought watching me babysit all those years he'd be inclined to ask me to help out. Heck I figured I'd be visiting every other day. That's not weird is it? _She mentally shrugged before refocusing. _Ron's even cut a few dates because he stayed behind to watch Hana when his rents were out! I mean he could ask me to come over, we could pop in a movie and watch her together. _

Kim worried her lip, equal parts glad and sad that Ron had entered the role of protective big brother so completely. A flash of pink and whiskers caused her to sigh. "...should have known better." She mumbled to herself.

_Still I'd probably trade Hana for the tweebs, super ninja baby or not. _

Without realizing it, Kim must have muttered some of her thoughts out loud, because Ron began to address her complaints even as he let go of her waist. Finally allowing her to regain some space between them.

"Y'know KP, I know we haven't had as much time together-together. Maybe you were wondering why I never asked you to babysit Hana or something." He offered with a sheepish grin taking his mission shades off. Kim squirmed a little at this, opening her mouth to argue before closing it abruptly.

_That makes me sound so... needy, and if there's one thing this girl doesn't do it's nee-_before she gave an imperceptible nod, or maybe it was just a shrug of her shoulders. Unnoticeable to anyone other than her best friend of 14 years.

Ron took this in and continued. "Sorry KP, I mean I know you can do anything. I just...I want to make sure my sis gets the best-er... well not like you're not the best babysitter in the world or anything. Cuz you totally are!" He stopped here and Kim could tell the other teen wasn't sure how to pick up after that, so she put her hand in his, giving it a tiny squeeze in an effort to get him to go on.

"But like I want to do my best for her...?" Ron tried hard to explain, even as the enormity and simplicity of the thoughts kept him from getting it out the way he wanted.

"Arrgh. So Rufus is family right? Hana's the same, and even if I screw up I want to be the one to take care of them. I mean Ron Stoppable might make some mistakes-" Kim managed to roll her eyes playfully at that, "_okay, a lot of_ mistakes, but... I'm going to step it up for my sis." Ron finished at last, exhaling loudly as the last bit came out in a rush.

Then he looked down at her and returned her hand squeeze. "Sides, I know my bon-diggety girlfriend's up for helping me when I-we need it right?"

And for once, a new smile came onto Ron's face that Kim couldn't quite catalog in her mental scrapbook of 14 years labelled in a part of her mind as "Ronpressions." All she knew was that she had probably blushed, taken his face in her hands to give him a quick peck, and finally settled in the warm feeling pooling in her stomach.

"You got it Ron, you need anything and you can call me, beep me- you know the rest." She said feeling buoyant.

_Ron **has **stepped up as far as I'm concerned, in fact it seems like he's sprinting as fast as he can, and sadly in the wrong direction. _Kim hated to break up their little moment, but it was for the best. _Perhaps, _Kim thought sardonically, _it was time to exercise her girlfriend/friend/team leader__ privileges to rein in Ron a little. _

"Ron that's really sweet. I know you're on edge about protecting Hana, I get that (_well sort of what with my experience with siblings) _but you're going a little too far with this whole thing." She motioned to the machine, even as she felt his hand on her back stiffen.

"Hana's a _special_ girl and let's be honest, if she can handle the Yono... I think the terrors of the Middleton Mall don't pose as much of a threat." She continued gently.

Ron looked like he wanted to protest, and Kim cut him off having heard the gist of the "threats" he'd outlined before.

"I'm not saying you should let her free, but you could probably ease up on the whole bodyguard thing." _Hard to imagine I'm talking Ron **out of**__ wearing a suit. _"That and as safe as it is, the S.H.I.N.- ah... isn't winning you any points with her." She held onto his hand as he tried to pull away.

She went for the final blow. "She looks ready to punch her way out Ron."

Hana seemed to catch on by their tones and began to sniffle with large wounded puppy dog eyes. Even Kim couldn't help but be impressed by how completely Hana had her brother wrapped around her tiny delicate finger. Ron stiffened to protest, slumping a little as he listened, finally crumpling when Hana pulled her best PDP impression.

"Heh, seems like I went crazy huh?" Ron replied eventually, rubbing the back of his neck as another flash of light reverted the shield back to a silver ring. "Thanks Kim, I just wanted to make sure Hana was...safe y'know? Especially...after the whole Yono deal." Ron said self-conciously.

He laughed a little, and Kim could tell it was mostly to convince himself. "I mean it seemed like I lost you then, and I kept waking up at night to dreams of you and Hana and everyone else I knew becoming statues. Guess it bugged me more than I thought, thinking I'd screwed up forever." He said with a brief shudder, eyes haunted by what she guessed was memories of her frozen form, Yono, or some mix of the two.

Her eyes widened at this explanation, and Kim silently chided herself for a second for never talking about it with Ron some more after that mission had ended. At first glance, Ron seemed okay and she had passed it off as Ron's usual resiliency in light of the way he had bounced back from other life and death missions. She herself had a few awkward nights, but in usual Kim Possible fashion threw herself harder into her day to day obligations to exhaust herself, and soon found the memories began to fade. Having Ron during the day, and Panderoo at night helped.

_You're his girlfriend, closest friend, and partner. I need to start opening up to him and talking to him more, -well not like I don't talk to him all the time really- but I guess there are a lot of things we just gloss over as understood after all these years._

An acidic voice in her mind chimed in: A_s long as you make sure he doesn't go around to other girls to talk about his problems, and by "other" girls I mean a certain Japanese sneaky ninja school girl. Then fine._

Growling slightly at the though of Yori, with her perfect hair, and perfect manners, and '_Oh_! _Stoppable-san_ _giggle'...__**grrrr**__._''

Ron studied Kim for a second as her face shifted from apologetic, to biting her lip, finally mumbling angrily, making him wonder about what she was thinking. Just as he was about to suggest food to break her out of- whatever it was, she faced him suddenly resolute.

"C'mon Ron, we'll pass on Club Banana for now and just head to Bueno Nacho." She began to drag him along out of the mall.

"Something wrong?" eyes narrowing slightly Ron began to scout around again making a gesture to begin speaking to Rufus.

"No Ron, nothing- no danger. I just think we should talk about what you said was bothering you earlier. _Now_." She began to impatiently drag the young blonde towards the nearest parking lot exit.

"Hey, whoa- KP stop!" he said in protest at this sudden change.

"Wait Kim, I thought you wanted to come pick up those new clothes you've been talking about for the last week. I was there when Monique told you the final sale would be today and the stock cleared so this was your last chance." he said hurriedly trying to derail this sudden flight from the mall.

"And I quote: _"Kim girl, you would not believe how few of those jackets in your size are left right now. Just between me and you those jeans you were checking out last time you came in were TDF on you. As your bgf and fashion consultant you need to pick them up while they're all on sale this Saturday. It's the final sale of the month. _end quote_." _He chuckled a little inside at how surprised Kim looked every time he did that.

"If you want to hit up Bueno Nacho afterwards I will be always happy to come along, but we can wait until you get what we came for." He said taking a breath while Kim slowed down some.

"Besides (and here he leaned in to whisper with a wiggle of his eyebrows) I thought having Hana would give us a good reason to go into Cuddlemporium. See if Hana has the same weakness for cuddle-_hfmph_" and was swiftly cut off as Kim reached up to kiss Ron, partly to stop him from finishing his sentence.

"Okay Kim, you're going to have to stop flip flopping on me here or I'm not going to last the day. What'd I do?" She quirked her lips at how pleased and slightly dazed her boyfriend looked.

"Nothing, just glad you're here with me" she replied grinning. It consoled her a little to have this reminder of Ron's focus on her after thoughts about Yori-_nevermindthat_!

"C_'mon_ Ron, let's go to Club Banana, then we can look at toys for Hanna, and I'll treat you to Bueno Nacho."

Ron was dragged away again this time with little resistance by a smug Kim Possible.

* * *

**Club Banana**

Monique, gossip master, Pain King super fan, and confidant/advisor to both members of Team Possible on occasion was filling out a few records at the counter. Another 2 months or 10 more commission sales later and she'd have a platinum club banana discount card. She was determined to get it in time for the fall line. That and Kim could always appreciate a discount which meant more commission sales which meant more bonuses for her.

_Satisfaction all around. _Monique thought cheerfully.

As the familiar chime rang of customers coming in she looked up. She mused that even Ron won in the sense that he got to enjoy whatever pretty clothes Kim wore.

_Not that he noticed in particular what Kim wore all that often. He was usually too focused on her flippy hair. _She laughed to herself.

Yep, Monique was a master of her craft. That of course, was the master craft of subtle human manipulation. She didn't do anything malicious, but she had convinced herself that Ron and Kim could use all the help they could get. That moment when they stepped in during the dance holding hands was her moment of vindication of months of subtle nudging, and vague conversations that led them to consider the possibility of seeing each other as more than best friends. It was hard to refrain from just beating them over the heads with it. It wasn't something they had been ready for at the time when she first met the two best friends, but the potential was there.

Monique rarely felt like it was her business what other people did with their lives, but she felt she could make an exception for her clueless about relationships best friend, and her equally hopeless but well meaning boy/best friend.

Speaking of the teens, she checked her watch. _Weren't they supposed to be coming in soon? _

Looking up again at the door she caught them coming in. For once, her focus on making a pitch fled at the sight of Ron.

"Whoa there, KC I'm a superstar, but there's no need to be a bodyguard for this girl. She can handle herself just fine." She giggled a little at the confusion on their faces before waving it off.

"Never mind, now explain to me just what's with your bf suiting up? And what in Club Bananas' name is that ridiculous thing strapped to his chest?" She asked crossing her arms amused.

_Definitely not designed as a fashion accessory. _She thought looking at the metallic contraption.

"Some kind of left over machine from a mission? Trying a little James Bond impression there Ron?" Monique teased.

Ron grinned at the Bond comment and tried to nonchalantly smooth back his hair before he caught Kim giving him a "stare".

"Sorry Monique, I forgot you hadn't officially met her yet, but this is as good a time as any. Meet-" Here Kim paused, wrinkling her forehead a bit before turning around to Ron.

"Ron, I think you should deactivate the S.H.I.N.O.B.I, it'd be easier than explaining."

"Roger, KP. Uh hold on a sec."

Monique watched in fascination while subconsciously edging behind a shelf in case it was somehow dangerous, as Ron stretched out his left arm activating a button on a wristwatch that caused the silver mass on his chest to let out a hiss.

_I know Kim would never let anything too dangerous happen and neither does Ron, but Ron's accidents aren't something you can plan for. _She thought with a touch of anxiety at a "Ron incident" in her store.

She came a little closer once it was clear it wasn't going to spring, as the safety latches, and joints unlocked before the screen flipped up. Ron knelt down unclasping the sling to the ground while reaching in to lift out..._**a baby girl**_?

Free at last! Hana leapt at the chance and made a desperate tumble for freedom. She giggled as Ron snatched for her – "**HANA**!"- and was determined to run around until she got tired as revenge for being cramped for so long.

Just as she landed she felt a different more slender pair of hands grasp her under her little arms, scooping her up before she could take off. She was about to sulk when she was cuddled up to someone that smelled nice, was pleasantly warm, and soft in stark contrast to the cocoons temperature regulated coolness, and slightly uncomfortable plastic padding. She fought for another few seconds struggling to move as she was rocked slowly.

"There, there Hana, Ron's sorry about it and I promise you won't have to go back in." Hana heard even as she continued to push back a little.

"We can't let you run around here but I promise you'll get to stretch late-" and was pacified by the soft voice consoling her.

Hana started to smile again, before cooing softly as she reached around to hug the pretty shiny red curtain. She barely noticed the loud hypersonic squeal that emitted from her left. (Which is to say she did, but she figured there were only so many battles you could fight in a day)

Monique usually in control of her words and (rightly) proud of her own level-headedness, squealed (well, like a schoolgirl). There was definite babblage going on.

"_Ohmigosh_, she's so cuuuuttttte! Kim, who's this? You babysitting on the go now? What's her name?" came the rapid fire questions.

Kim simply smiled in reply rocking on the balls of her feet, while cradling the younger Stoppable.

"Oh, look at her! She's hugging your neck with those adorable little arms. Oh Kim, can I hold her for a second?" Monique pleaded arms partly outstretched.

"I promise I won't drop her! _Pleeeaase_?" She continued moving closer when Kim glanced over to Ron who nodded his consent.

Ron looked slightly shocked at the effect his baby sister had on females, although he understood as well having had his own breakdown in face of Hanas' overpowering cute factor. (intruder to sister in 3…2…1…)

"Hey Monique, I'm proud to present Hana Stoppable, my badical nin-Japanese baby sister that was adopted during the whole uh "Sacky" genocide." Ron said to the ecstatic African-American teen holding his sister.

"Hana, this is Monique, Kim's girlfriend and a totally badical babe herself." He said with a grin as he put a hand on each girls shoulder.

Ron tried to reach out to let Hana hold his thumb hoping get her to look at him. No dice. If anything she seemed to start struggling again, prompting Kim to take her back.

_Definitely holding a grudge_, Ron started to tug at his collar.

"C'mon Hana I'm sorry about the S.H.I.N.O.B.I and I promise I'll only use it if we're going into a dangerous situation." He explained in the same tone he used when he had to say no to Rufus about something (usually whether a fifth round of BN was acceptable).

Moving on Ron continued to explain. "Like into a lair, or when we go to school, because you know those bullies pick on the littler kids, and you're really small right now, although I guess with your flippy skills you could kick-butt, wait...maybe I could bring you with me to D-hall and-"

"Ron!"

"Right Kim, uh- what I meant to say was, sorry Hana just trying to do my best to keep you safe. I mean I screwed up before with Sacky I-well I just want you to be okay. Forgive me?"

This was followed by Ron's own spin on the PDP that was more hangdog than cute, but worked on females in general when he needed it to (which meant Kim, but the results were suspicious since Kim tended to forgive him after awhile no matter what.), and a candy gum drop that he had been assured was sugar free and suitable for children of Hana's age.

(Oh yah, bringing up Rufus had definitely taught him some parental tricks)

Hana buried her face into Kim's shoulder and peered up with her eyes only to judge Ron's sincerity. A long moment of tension passed for the whole group as Hana searched Ron's soul, before popping up releasing one hand from around Kim's hair and grabbing the candy. With another gurgle and a content smile she ate the gum drop, patted Ron's cheek and started to burrow into the alcove created by Kims neck and hair.

"Phew, looks like big bro lives another day" laughed Monique as Ron collapsed in relief.

"So I remember Sacky and I get that Hana was adopted. I'm just confused as to why she's Japanese." Monique said testing out the thought aloud. "I mean didn't Ron go on all those trips to Japan, and then that Yori girl, and now Hana?" She saw Ron tense slightly while Kim suddenly discovered she was having an allergic reaction to eye contact. "Seems like you've got a real... _connection_ with Japan, Ron. You going to go to university there as well?" there was a flash of compressed curiosity and suspicion at the pair who suddenly began to look nervous the more Monique mused out loud.

"Wha-" "Monique!" they both started.

"No/Pshaw of course not" _definite elevation of tone and heart-rate I bet. _Monique thought to herself.

"I mean... sure, I've been to Japan a few times" Team Possible did their best to speak over each other. "I mean me and Ron go all around the world for missions, so Japan is bound to come up" _definitely babbling._

"la la laa la laa" Hana seemed to cue into the wild hand waving pair as a dance.

"Anyway-There's nothing going on with ninjas because that'd be crazy..."

"**RON**!"

"GAH! Err... I mean, you see that crazy Ninja show with... eh heh the ninjas? Those ninjas we fought that one time and-shutting up now"

Monique warred within herself on whether to leap at this chance for some obviously juicy information about Hana, but resolved to settling with amusing herself watching them sweat it out a little bit longer.

She smirked.

Monique calmly spoke once they settled down. "It's okay guys seems like its one of those mission secret things so I'll let you guys off the hook" ignoring their protests before continuing. "and I promise I won't bring up anything about Hana until you guys decide if, and when to let me in on it. In exchange Ron has to cook me lunch next Saturday with enough for leftovers."

Kim looked torn between being relieved, and angry that Monique was blackmailing them for Ron's cooking, but huffed good naturedly at the end.

_Monique's too smart for her own good, a hand crafted meal by Ron is nothing to laugh at_.

"Deal, so Monique anything in specific you wanted me to make?" asked a grinning Ron.

"Hmm, well I was going to suggest whatever you think will make Kim **groan** in appreciation" with a naughty wink at a now flustered Ron, and a laugh at a rapidly coloring Kim.

"But I trust you to come up with something good." She bussed his cheek affectionately wrangling a strangled cry from Kim, before laughing inwardly again at how much fun it was messing with these two.

"C'mon Kim, give Hana to Ron, and I'll show you what'll make _Ron_ groan when he sees you in them okay?"

Here Ron gulped loudly while Kim fought a smile and handed Hana to Ron.

"Won't be too long Ron, watch Hana for now." she said with a twinkle in her eye, before walking off with Monique.

_Thanks a lot Monique. Way to get a guy flustered, and now I gotta watch Kim walk away. _He spent a moment imagining Kim before shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

Ron looked down at the crown of his baby sisters black hair, held her close, and then looked up to see the two girls putting their heads together whispering excitedly.

"Looks like it'll just be us Stoppables for now huh?" he said finally, slightly subdued.

Hana did her best to cheer him up by playing with his ears, baby-talking the whole time Ron bounced her on his knee at a now familiar bench seat.

(Rufus meanwhile, had taken advantage of the lull to go to the food court to sneak some snacks in, having finished Ron's stakeout provisions much earlier)

* * *

"Wow, Monique these threads _are_ spankin'." Kim said appreciatively.

"I can't believe the sale ends today. So what do you think about the sweater?

"This pair of pants or should I try the skirt?" asked Kim holding up the clothes in front of the mirror for comparison.

"Hmm, with your coloring I'd go with this one" Monique commented as she reached into one of the racks pulling out a pair of jeans.

"There we go. That's perfect, as long as you throw in a pair of sandals." pleased with her own impeccable eye for fashion, Monique whirled around to pick out the rest of the clothes she had lined up for her friend to try out.

"By the way what was with Ron's get up earlier? I thought I walked into a spy movie for a minute seeing him." asked Monique still curious.

"Oh, you know Ron he got an idea into his head, and decided Hana needed extra secret service strength protection." Kim replied offhand.

"Although... there was something bothering me _earlier_ about it." Kim spoke switching out the sweater for a dress.

_It's weird but I've started to wear a few more dresses now. Still not my favorite type of clothing, but I like the effect it can have._

"Ah, thanks-" Kim said as Monique passed her another set of clothes.

"Well, I mean beyond the whole encapsulating Hana into a machine thing."

Biting her lip and furrowing her brow for a moment trying to remember, "Something Ron said… hmm what was it? Hana, S.H.I.N.O.B. , broke…"

Here she let out a gasp eyes widening. "Monique! Hesaidhe _built it_!"

"Whoa girl, CDBYB a vessel. Now what did you say? Are you saying Ron built that metal harness outside?" She said holding a vest dubiously.

"I figured he asked Wade for a favor or something, but you're telling me our Ron, the same one who demolished our arts and crafts room built this?" asked Monique with one eyebrow raised.

"And why does Hana need so much protection anyway, bad guy de jour after you guys now?" She continued looking for an explanation.

"Yah I'm certain he said he built it, in fact he built two of them, or at least fixed the first one..." here Kim trailed off biting her lower lip in a rare show of worry, at the implications.

She had known Ron always had potential. If nothing else his time as Zorpox *shudder* was a time not easily remembered for either of them, but undeniable proof that Ron was capable of much more than he appeared to be at first glance. Certainly, Zorpox had displayed an amazing ability to cobble together complex machinery from anything - in fact thinking back further, she dimly recalled Ron had claimed once before to building a doomsday machine with trash while he had been imprisoned by Drakken and Shego.

She had brushed it off at first but now...

"Kim, _Kim?_ Earth to Kim Possible!" Monique snapped her fingers a few times in front of Kim trying to snap her out of it.

"You kinda trailed off there." she said lowering her hand from Kim's face.

Kim dropped the clothes she was holding into the bin without thinking about it, and grabbed Monique's shoulders.

"There's something weird going on with Ron Monique. I need to find out what."

She looked a little wild for a second, before grabbing the cart and heading to the register to pay for the clothes. She was done shopping for now; she needed to figure out what the deal was with Ron before anything else.

"Wait- _Kim!_ Damnit." Monique was even more confused now than before and nobody was making any sense!

She looked at the rest of the clothes she had picked out for Kim.

_She'll thank me later._ She though as she grabbed another basked picking out the last of the tailored pieces she had reserved for her best friend, before heading to the counter as well.

_Girl's probably too zoned out to even notice. _Monique thought as she hurried after her best friend.

Kim had already told her the budget she had for clothes, so with her employee discount it'd be just enough. She was tempted to close shop and take her lunch break early to follow them maybe find out what was happening, but didn't want to snoop too obviously.

_Although, Kim did look pretty frazzled by whatever it was that was bugging Ron. A little backup never hurt. _She reasoned to herself.

_That and Kim can get a little _narrow _when it comes to Ron from time to time._

She decided she'd close up half an hour early and drop by Bueno Nacho by "coincidence" later and depending on how they looked she'd grab take out or join them. After all her curiosity could only be held back so much.

That and somebody had to watch out for the mental health of her best friends who happened to be teenagers responsible for saving the world. Best not to leave things like world security entirely up to chance.

* * *

Ron was of course getting a little bored waiting for Kim, or at least he would have been once upon a time while he waited with Rufus. Chances are in the past he would have been playing on the Kimmunicator while she shopped. Today, he had someone to explain and educate during Kim's Monique/Club Banana time which helped pass the minutes.

He maneuvered Hana so that she was facing him and fixed her with the face he had used trying to teach her to turn a page.

"Okay Hana I want you to pay attention okay? Your brothers got some important life lessons that you need to learn if you want to jump ahead of all the other future save the world babies." Ron explained seriously.

Hana recognized the look and began to anticipate a chance to play with what she'd begun to recognize as "pages and books" according to her brother. It was fun tearing that floppy, smooth, "page" and her brother made the funnest faces when she did.

"Wouldn't want you to not get into the secret school for heroines, because I failed to give you the lessons you need." He said solemnly.

"So here's Ron's quick lesson to saving the world and being a cool butt-err forget that part about kicking but-**BEING** a cool hero." Ron rode over his mistake as best as he could.

'**Focus Ron, get your head in the game**_' (_echoed in his mind in Kims' voice) _little Sis' save the world scholarship depends on you_.

Hana meanwhile was looking curiously up at her brother with a mix of adorable befuddlement and delight as he waved his hands to make his points, and the way his face would twist around trying to explain things to her. She had no real clue what he was saying, but a part of her that she couldn't articulate yet felt a warmth, a sense of belonging here in her brother's arms.

The Mystical Monkey Power that created a bond between them that assured her that she was safe and in good hands. Even if those hands made funny shapes and tickled her from time to time. She reached out to grab those fingers darting around her face.

"Right so a) Find an awesome best friend who wants to be a cool hero with sixteen kinds of kung fu and-hey Hana! That's my thum-" ***WHUMPH***

"OWWWWW not cool little sis." groaned Ron now on his butt after being flipped upside down.

He scowled a bit at Hana's delighted clapping, and laughing as her big brother laid in a heap on the floor.

"Yah-yah, laugh it up now ya little rascal." He huffed from a decidedly uncomfortable position on the floor.

"_We'll_ see who laughs tonight when it's milk time, and someone doesn't get apple sauce dessert, or the special UFO feeding dance." Ron continued to grumble from the ground straightening himself to look up at the chair where Hana was.

Ron nearly fell over again when the small couch was obviously lacking a small Japanese toddler busy laughing at him.

"**HANA**!" bolting up right to see where she could have run off to, Ron swung around in a circle trying to catch a glimpse of small black hair darting around.

"Rufus I need a location track of Hana right away. Rufus?" squeaks and a slightly softer "sorr'y" could be heard from his ear transponder.

"Man this is bad. Hana? C'mon, and come back here sis." he pleaded.

"Mom and Dad would totally freak out if I lost you on our first trip to the mall. Sensei is going to-" blood drained from his face.

"Oh man! I'm going to face off against ninja baby sitter assassins, which would be totally cool if they weren't going to assassinate me." he gibbered in terror for a moment.

"Okay, don't freak out. Find KP and Monique, get both of them to search for her. _**Hana**_!"

Ron leapt away to the register spotting Kim and Monique to explain to them what had happened. The clothes at the register were forgotten temporarily as Monique went to check the security cams, and Team Possible took each end of the shop with Kim covering the entrance. He felt unusually calm after the initial panic attack.

_Wonder if this is how Kim feels all the time. _Was a fleeting thought before he ducked around another shelf of shirts to check the floor underneath.

"_Ron_!" came a cry from inside as Monique appeared flushed, mouth agape.

"I saw your baby sister... I think. She was...she- was running on the ceiling. Ron what- How-?" Ron could see her struggling, and while he sympathized he brushed that aside for now.

"No time to explain-just tell me when you spot her, she's fast" ordered Ron and looked up to see if he could track her. _There_!

"KP, Hana's doing the run around on the ceiling." he alerted her with a yell.

"Got it." replied Kim as her mind raced furiously for a second to consider what to do.

Hana could keep running, and she'd probably run back down given enough time. Unfortunately, it was too dangerous to leave her alone to run back down herself when she could fall and there were fans spinning.

"Ron I see her, she's running towards a corner." She caught his eye and training born from countless missions, and years spent together transmitted her plan like they were perfectly in sync.

Ron gave a short nod as she began to run while he backed up slightly and crouched with his knees, interlocking his hands together to create a spring for her. She was a about a foot away when he locked his arms as she came out of her handspring. Kim felt him boost her even as she pushed off him to make a perfect launch in a tight arc towards the speeding toddler.

Monique watched at this perfect bit of teamwork that couldn't have been timed any better if they had a practiced it beforehand. (Which of course they had in cheer practice)

Hana meanwhile was enjoying her stretch of exercise, innate Mystical Monkey Power instincts surging to give her a perfect route free of the dangers or obstacles, and she was about to begin another lap when out of the ceiling tile in front of her popped out a familiar face. Rufus of course had analyzed the situation and decided to take on his masters' usual role of distraction. Burrowing through the tile he popped out when he felt the tremors of Hana's little feet speeding his way. Hana smiled at her playmate of many days (a sort of Panderoo only alive) and reached down to scoop him out of the hole. That pause as she clutched Rufus to her, gave Kim the opening she needed to scoop Hana and flip kick off the wall back onto the floor. Had Hana not been in her arms she would have finished her perfect dismount arms outstretched Olympic style.

**"Awww'** **H'ink"** Rufus chittered happily rubbing against Hana's cheek who happily squeezed her favorite pink toy pet.

Kim smiled down at the two and would have been freaked out to realize her smile then was very reminiscent of her mothers smile when Anne hugged Kim.

"Kim! Hana! Rufus buddy, great job!" an exhilarated Ron ran up to hug the whole group.

Monique cursed her lack of a camera. _It was a picture perfect family moment. _

_Am I getting a glimpse into the future? Asian girl aside- although who am I kidding, Kim's bound to get attached someday saving orphans. Wonder what Kim girl and Ron think about starting a family?_

There was a quick pang of- something in her heart staring at the circle of them so clearly connected to one another while she stood off to the side, but she shook her head again. They really did make such a cute picture. Kimmunicator! They'd given it to her to connect to the security system to check for Hana.

She fumbled praying that they'd hold the hug another second longer. *click* **SNAP**! Perfect. Sigh. _They really were cute together._

She took a second watching out of the corner of her eye as Ron fussed a little longer over Hana scolding her for running off by herself. Fiddling with the Kimmunicator, she managed to get it to send e-mail attachments of the photo to all 3 of them. She had no doubt Wade would have already grabbed the photo somehow for automatic analysis or something. She gave them all another second as Hana appeared appropriately chastised by the way her laughter had stopped, but was still smiling with large innocent eyes in guileless curiosity at why her brother was so upset.

_Like she didn't know the little devil. _Monique huffed.

Hana leapt from Kim to her brother for a hug as her way of soothing him in a move of shameless manipulation every child knows. Ron tried to continue being stern, but was forced to sigh/grin in relief instead. He hugged her a little harder eliciting another happy noise, and felt a tremble go through him at the thought of what could have happened to her.

He sensed more than felt Kim close in, and her tone was soft and comfortable in his ear as she hugged him.

"She's okay now, I promise you we won't let anything happen to her. That's a Kim Possible guarantee."

"I mean she's even got Rufus looking after her. Okay Ron?" she whispered comfortingly rubbing his neck slightly, while leaning on the other shoulder unoccupied by Hana. Kim finally moved another arm around both Hana and his side in a protective embrace.

* * *

_This felt right. Protecting and saving people always felt good, but protecting Ron and saving him always felt special._ Kim mused while holding the siblings.

_Perhaps this was partly what led me to start down this path all those years ago. Saving Ron at first, and that feeling that came with helping my best friend, and his presence through everything, made it natural to try to take it to the next level. _All the way to her current international level heroics_._

_Wonder if my fathers inevitable breakthroughs in space travel will result in Team Possible going interstellar someday_.' Another inner wry grin at the Captain Constellation motto's that was sure to be shouted if they ever got a space shuttle to travel around in from her boyfriend/father.

Monique cleared her throat a bit, "Not to break up the celebration party, but if somebody doesn't-" she broke off apparently too flummoxed to articulate the rest of her demands. Hands on hip with a classic SBST expression on her face as Monique waited (not at all patiently) for an explanation.

_Okay sure you expect a certain amount of weirdness dealing with Ron, and more given the Team Possible angle, I mean Rufus alone would have driven someone mad along time ago if they stopped to question everything strange but...this? _She thought over what she had just witnessed, and whether she could gloss over it.

_Oh this was not going to fly. Nuh uh. No way baby girl. That blank pass was used up. Ron meal or no. _Monique decided.

Kim stopped the hug and turned to face Monique. _Well whatever the future holds, be it aliens or whatever I'm pretty sure it'll be like this. Standing with Ron right by me and our chil-Aaauuggghh where did _**that** _come from?_

* * *

_Authors Note: First Chapter done. It's weird, because I keep looking back over this one changing and fiddling with it. In a sense this is the most important chapter, because it sets the tone and the hook for the rest of the story. Or at the very least it's the only way for the audience to decide whether they want to invest more time. While some of the hooks aren't too clear I did want to expand a bit more on where the story is going. This is a story focused on Hana, or Ron, or Kim, well... it's a story mainly about how Hana will have an effect on our heroes. For good or bad. _

_Hana is an interesting plot device in a sense, she's so young, but so has so many powers that it's hard to say for certain how she'll turn out. It's a struggle not to just write her one way, or reduce her to a mere plot device. (One I suspect I'll fail more than I'll succeed at) After all she is still a baby girl, gifted with incredible mysterious powers of prophecy. At some point hopefully that will be addressed. If not here, at the very least I would like to see what having a sister does for Ron Stoppable and by extension Kim Possible by the end of this story._

_Anyway, this story begins during Team Possible' senior year, near the first month or two of school with the two episodes "_**Big Brother**_", and "_**Oh No! Yono!**_" shifted to the start of their final year._

_Hope you enjoy the story and of course feel free to leave a note telling me things that could be improved or fixed. (I swear reading over it never fails to make me head back to document manager!)_

* * *

_Preview: (Whoops did this one too late) Next time: An old villain comes back for revenge, explanations and grilling occurs! If this chapter was bad maybe the next one will change your mind! (Actually it's Frugal Lucre so uh not sure whether that'll do the trick. I promise A-listers will show up eventually!)_

futilely 


	2. DatM: Explanations and Frugality

**_Days of Hana_**

**_The Mall part 2_**

by unwrittenaria

* * *

disclaimer: nothing owned by me. All characters belong to their respective creators and disney.

* * *

**BUENO NACHO**

Bueno Nacho had hundreds of branches across the states, where on average they served at least 40 to 60 odd teenagers everyday with a new branch opening every month. Those studying the fast food industry were impressed to see the resurgence of the Tex-Mex chain in the last year or so in sales due to a stroke of culinary innovation, namely the combination of two items that created an entirely new product that tested well across the board (with one exception). The fact that they had to do nothing more than slap one food item into another without the need to test new food products was a godsend. (several of the board members upon learning the windfall projected from this new item forgot themselves and actually started a victory dance around the table)

As somebody with a keen interest in Bueno Nacho's growth Ned was particularly proud of the role his branch played in the Bueno Nacho revival.

_Getting a nice bonus doesn't hurt either, that and we've got the highest ratio of population to sales of any branch. Now if only I could get someone else to work here _a short pause here to recall the employees that had served for a short period_... then I'll be SUPREME branch manager... hehe yah right. _

_Saw first hand how taking over the world with Bueno Nacho turned out for that... Drakin(?) guy. Still it's nice to pretend this dead end job of mine contributes in some way to the rest of the world, I mean my health standards are a key part to helping out- _His thoughts were cut off by the sound of the door opening and right on schedule BN's most loyal customer strolled through its hallowed (yet decidedly cheesy) halls. The second most loyal (by extension of constant proximity to the first) followed behind.

Ron and Kim could be counted on to appear here before or after a date, in fact they came so often they had an unofficial parking spot for Kim's Roth SL _Coupe_. They did occasionally frequent more "classy" establishments like Chez Croteaux (usually by dint of Kim's subtle hinting, followed by pointed glares when the hinting slipped right off ala Ron's trousers) but by and large the mainstay of their after date meal requirements were satisfied at BN. Monique appreciated Bueno Nacho almost as much as Ron but tended to side with Kim when it came to eating so while she did frequent the restaurant she generally tended to come only when they all went.

"Alright! KP they've got the Two for One Taco's today! All that running around's got me worked up for some Naco goodness. What'd ya say buddy ready for another food off? Monique you in?" Monique just crossed her arms again and furrowed her brow a little further before heading off to their usual booth.

"Uh..KP I think it might be time to try Plan: Doctor Wade's Note."

"What are you talking about Ron? Oh right, doctor note from Wade... (half amused eye roll) Look I'm sure we can explain things to Monique without having to call on Wade for back-up."

"I dunno Kim, I've only seen Monique this serious about clearance sales, gossip, and tickets to GWA Pain King matches. How are we going to wiggle out of telling her the truth about Hana?"

"Well for starters you'd better keep a tight grip on that sister of yours, last thing we need is another example of her giving us the run around in a more public place. Thankfully, Club B was empty and we got Wade to wipe the security cams."

_Guess I shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss the S.H.I.N.O.B.I. Although there has to be a better way of keeping a leash on Hana than that contraption. _Kim had been relatively silent partly out of respect to Monique's clear insistence that any talking had better be to explain the footprints of the Club Banana ceiling, and partly out of her own desires to clear her mind of the last stray thought she had before leaving the store.

"Alright Monique, we promise you'll get your talk, but it's time for Rufus daily feeding so can we at least wait until we get to Bueno Nacho? I'll even throw in a salad and Naco on me" (Ron wisely decided to refrain from mentioning the cards he received every month allowing for free meals as part of his royalty fees. Being a die hard Bueno Nacho fan meant he used it only every other purchase.) Seeing her about to crumble Ron pulled out his trump card.

_I'm no stranger to the Puppy Dog Pout what with having Kim as a best friend, but this is a seriously low blow. _Monique thought to herself in the face of an outstretched smiling Hana Stoppable. Even as she turned away to hide her grin at the sight of Hana sucking her thumb she threw up her hands in surrender.

"Fine! We wait until Bueno Nacho and then you both have some explaining to do, super cute baby sister or not. That and I'm not cleaning up those footprints!"

"Gotcha covered Monique, called in a favour for the Wade bot as part of his IOU from the whole beam thing." Ron explained brightly.

"_Hmph"_

"Here ya go Monique, hold on to her for awhile and I'll grab the car so we can go." Monique looked hesitant for a second but since neither Kim nor Ron had any obvious problems with holding Hana she decided it would probably be safe for her. She watched the blonde dash off to the parking lot. A surreptitious glance at Kim made it obvious she was still zoned out.

_Safe_

"Aww who's a cutttee little baby? _You_ are! Yes, _you_ are..."

10 min later.

Glancing again at Kim who had turned strangely introspective while she drove Ron continued to play with Hana. (warding off her inquisitive, saliva adorned fingers from the "special" features panel on the dashboard)

_Must be planning on how to explain this to Monique. Glad one of us has a plan._

* * *

Ron arrived back at the table with a veritable mountain of fast food delights. Rufus was tasked with bringing back his own tray in the hopes that it would delay him long enough for the rest of the group to get some of the food.

_Okay so do I wait for the food to make them feel safe and off guard or hit them now while they're hungry? _Monique cast a glance over to where Ron sat next to Hana who was back in the machine he built, although he seemed to have fixed it so it resembled more of a baby booster chair now (decidedly from the future, but a baby booster nonetheless).

"So uh Monique, you still have those notes from Chemistry, I had to cut out early for a mission and-"

_Got to give the girl credit, at least she tries. Unlike sir stuffs-a-lot over here. Granted that just might be his way of keeping his mouth shut. _She brightened her face noticeably with an overtly cheerful grin that made both of them stiffen with suspicion and poured as much syrup into her voice as possible.

"Oh Kim, why of course I have the notes, I'll give them to you... as soon as you explain what you're doing with a baby that can RUNONTHE-HMMPHF!"

That was Kim's hand.

A few of the other customers looked over at the commotion, and even from a distance the red and yellow hair in that booth was a sufficient explanation for them to go back to their food.

"Monique! If I take my hand off do you promise to talk about this like a rational person." She received a pointed glare.

_Guess that's the best I'll get._

Ron watched half in amusement, half in anxiety as Kim retreated back to the safety of her salad. They exchanged glances. _Looks like I'll be fielding this one. _

"Alright Monique, here's the deal. We can't talk about what Hana is. You might have uh... noticed little Hana here has the moves. All we can safely reveal is that she's special and that I have a duty as her brother to protect and teach her. Someday we might be able to explain it more, but we made promises to a respected elder that we can't break, even to friends. Can we count on you to respect that?"

_Hmm I've heard Kim talk about Ron's serious face and I've seen it a few times, but never this close. It's surprisingly effective. Probably because he uses it so rarely for something actually serious. _

With a long suffering sigh she held her hands up in a mock surrender position.

"Alright, but you've got to give me some details. I mean she is your sister now so you've got to have some things you can share." One raised eyebrow assured them that they would search their minds for something relevant to share.

"Besides, if she's going to kindergarten you're going to have some serious explaining to do when she runs circles around her teachers." You won't be able to pull what you're pulling with me now. Monique leaned back and was interested to see the differences in their reactions to her challenge.

_Kim actually looks concerned about the kindergarten angle. Surprisingly, Ron actually looks pretty calm about it. Does he know something she doesn't? Given what Kim's told me about Ron's behaviour seems like there's quite a few secrets Ron's hiding. I could wait until she corners him and get the scoop second hand, or I could save us both the trouble and bring it up myself. Since it looks like the Hana investigation's going to be stalled anyway. _

"Actually, Ron I've got a question about you. Kim mentioned something about you building that contraption your sister's in. When did you find time to pick up engineering?" she said sarcastically. "Planning on moonlighting as Wade's assistant now?" Kim flashed her a grateful smile for bringing it up.

Ron looked confused for a moment before the light bulb warmed up and lit.

"Oh you wanna know about the S.H.I.N.O.B. mk.I? No problem. So I was watching the discovery channel, or maybe playing a video game. Then POW it hits me! What does every baby need? Ya know besides bibs, and their own colouring crayon set? Oh and apple sauce I guess, I mean who can resist the _smooth_ goodness of-"

"Ron!/_Ron_!"

"Synchronized surround sound? Badical! Hey we could get you guys to be human speakers!" A kick in the shins under the table made him stop again.

"Huh? Oh, right, building this thing was no big as my girlfriend likes to say. Just went into the garage and picked out a couple of random crates of stuff we had lying around." Here Ron fidgeted a bit.

"Came face to face with _*shudder*_ evil again which is always a good way to get your brain working. Nothing like sheer terror to kick start the brain juices."

Monique raised another curious eyebrow at Kim sitting next to her, who returned the look with a shake of the head and a mouthed whisper of "garden gnome, don't ask" She shrugged and focused again on Ron who had taken advantage of the lull to feed Hana some pudding/baby sauce.

"It's yum yum time, but your punishment is no special UFO feeding dance Hana. Can't let Rufus- okay forget Rufus" - **"hey!" **an offended Rufus.

"sorry buddy but we both know you ain't exactly Mr. Manners, but it's all good. Hana just needs a better role model when it comes to fine dining. Alright Hana I want you to use the _spoon_ okay? Can you do that for big brother?"

"Ba-durr!" Hana pounded happily away at the table spilling applesauce and chili sauce packets everywhere laughing cheerfully the whole time.

"Err Ron maybe you'd better leave the feeding to me okay?" Kim rolled her eyes at Ron's attempts to make Hana learn everything. She reached over unclasping Hana from her "safety chair" and was soon feeding her with one hand to keep her in place while the other dipped into what was left of the apple sauce.

_That and we don't need Monique noticing the little dent's Hana's making in the table from time to time pounding away with those little fists of hers._

"_Aww_ Kim, we gotta make sure Hana learns to use her own spoon. If she wants a shot at those swanky upper crust private school kindergartens, she needs to be able to compete when they have exams. I mean, she's already not looking so hot with the stick-the-shapes-into-the-holes exercises. Sure, we could probably get her a sports scholarship, but endorsement deals and exotic baby star good looks will only get you so far in life. _I should know_."

Rufus actually took a pause from the rest of Ron's Naco to look up to his owner, before slapping a paw to his forehead and muttering **"oh** **brother."**

_You said it Rufus. _Monique echoed in her mind. Amusing as it was most of the time (trying to track Ron's synapses firing in firework fashion) she wanted to get to the bottom of what was happening, and was in no mood for more of Ron's "eccentricities." She snapped her fingers a few times to get his attention.

"Hey Ron, TAB and get back to how you created the gizmo over there."

"Right, right, where was I? Video games, garage, crates, _unblinking evil_, k. So... yah, I decided it'd be good to have some kind of super baby suit for Hana you know, with all the stuff that happens around us. Got my dad to crunch the numbers and baby accidents are pretty dire in actuary figures. So I took whatever left over parts I could find from whatever was lying around and whipped together the S.H.I.N.O.B. mk.I. Once I had the whole thing rigged up, I sent it over to Wade to check, followed up with a test trial by Rufus."

He looked down to his (by now overcompensated pet). "Thanks, buddy"

"**hn'k, no problem**!"

"Once I was sure it was safe I put Hana in. The first version was a heck of a lot bigger. Then Hana poun-err worked her way out of it, the little tyke heh-heh..." he gave another nervous laugh. "-_ANYway_ so yah I had to work with reduced materials and that's why the is so much more constraining. Any other questions?" He was rushing by the end so he could snag some of the chips Rufus was demolishing.

Just earlier Monique had gotten a glimpse of the foundation of teamwork that made Team Possible well... possible. She hadn't know Kim as long as Ron did, but it was at times like this that she was sure they could read each others' minds. Another remarkably synchronized eyebrow raising/dubious look later, they both reached over to pull the nachos away from the blonde and his pink mole rat.

"Hey/**hey!**"

"Sorry Rufus, but your master ain't getting off that easy. _Ron_, I know that sounded like an _explanation_ to you, and with most other people it might have counted... By that, I meant I would have swallowed that if it was from **_Wade_**. _You_ however, don't get to build some crazy baby restrainer machine and wave it off with," and here Monique used finger quotes "-_I whipped it up."_

"Okay, Monique I mean I guess its not entirely accurate to say I "whipped" it up. That seems to involve blending of some kind, and while I'm down with the whole food creation thing that wasn't what happened here. I guess... I should say I assembled it? I built it? I took-"

"_Ron!_ **WE **get that part. Okay, actually I don't. What I think Monique meant to ask was when did you develop the _know-how_ to build this? Did you look up one of Drakken's old machines and get Wade to improve on it?" asked a thoroughly frustrated Kim Possible.

_If there's one thing I've learned dealing with Ron Stoppable, it's that searching for the answers you want should be directed in such a way as to leave as little wiggle room as possible. _ _In short, be blunt. And sometimes even that doesn't work. Master of Distraction indeed.  
_

Ron brightened as what they were asking got through, even as his face screwed up while he was trying to puzzle out an answer. He opened his mouth a few times to answer... and closed it each time.

_Which is odd for Ron. Usually he either blurts out whatever he knows, or thinks he knows, right or wrong. It's rare that he's stymied for something to say. _

"Ya know KP, now that you mention it... I'm not really sure how I came up with the idea for it. I was just randomly gaming, then I thought of Hana, and then it's like my brain fizzed and I got the idea for it. Weird huh?" after this rather disconcerting announcement he shrugged it off and reached for the chips again.

(Rufus had scampered over covertly while everyone was focused on Ron)

_Alright Possible, it's not the first time Ron's thrown you a curve ball. I knew from the first day I met him that he'd be weird (boy did I call that one). Kim Possible she can do anything, even read her own future. Should I get mom to give him a scan see if anything's changed? It couldn't be cancer...could it? Stop that! Calm down and think rationally, panicking is Ron's shtick. We didn't come into any odd contact with any weird rays again like before, unless it was something with the Yono while I was *posing* for my stone bust. So what's changed recently? Or does this go back further...?_

Kim bit her lip for a few seconds frowning before exhaling a quick breath and looking up again. She'd ask Wade and Mom to take a look at Ron and see if they could detect anything. If that didn't work there was always Yamanouchi to call on. Until then she'd stop worrying about it and focus on seeing if Ron could give her any more clues about his above-par weirdness.

Rufus watched from his sea of cheese on top of a small raft made of nachos, at his second favourite human seemed troubled before her face morphed into the usual focused look he saw when they had missions.

* * *

** Wade's House**

It was a dimly lit room that housed the brains and tech headquarters of Team Possible. Scattered around were various dirty clothes, comic books and games, half assembled parts with various blueprints lying around, and what looked suspiciously like an industrial grade keg hooked up to a tube that fed into a certain Slurpster cup.

Wade Load resident 10 year old hacking genius and inventor extraordinaire was pulling up the results from multiple data scans, feeding him information based on programs he wrote with his own custom brand of algorithms. His current setup of about 9 different screens all with various programs or searches occurring simultaneously was enough to give his mom constant headaches about the prescription glasses he would need.

(Wade had considered this and was already working on two patents involving revolutionary ambient light screens, and a new form of laser eye surgery. He had long ago worked out the corrective contacts infused with nanobots, but still hadn't gotten FDA approval.) Reading from various screens he noted various developments of what would be considered "cutting edge." Hmm using wood to create better bone marrow transplant material, and flexible paper LCD screens?

_Could probably miniaturize that some more_ _and create some kind of slim card version of the Kimmunicator with limited capabilities. Kim did mention the need for fake ID's for some of the various undercover missions that GJ's requested them to do before. Wouldn't hurt to have a backup line to the team in case they have to ditch the hand held. As for the bone marrow thankfully we haven't had any need for that kind of expertise yet. Still after Ron's whole " injury probability " fiasco I should probably save this._

Unbeknownst to Ron or Kim Wade had carefully amassed various plans for prosthetic developments, cloning tech from DNAmy for organ development, and a host of other medical aids. He didn't want to have to use any of it but if that time ever came-

_If anything ever happens to the three of them, I'll have something. I guess that's one thing I should be thankful for when I contacted Kim way back when she made her website. With all the gear and tech we've confiscated or come into contact with fighting bad guys I'll always have something to play with. _He let out a sad sigh. _Drakken and Dementor could have both done so much good for the world if they only thought to apply their genius in areas other than taking over the world. Then again being a genius is partly being too stubborn to give up. _

He stopped typing for a second to take a sip from his Slurpster before grinning.

"Heck I might have given it a shot once if I hadn't run into Kim, Ron, and Rufus. Then again it'd probably have been pretty boring ruling the world after awhile. It all probably worked out for the best." A priority alert popped up on the main screen and he clicked on it to read. Looked like a picture from the Kimmunicator with a separate letter from Ron.

_Now that's a picture that deserves to go on the top of the Team Possible website banner. Still the last thing they need is for someone to go around snooping trying to get a jump on them using Hana. _

For a second Wade was almost tempted to put it up anyway. From everything he understood about Hana (and there was a frustrating amount that he didn't right now research pending) it'd be more like setting up a trap for the villains. Still it went against his instincts to expose a child any more than was necessary. It had been hard work (almost a full 5 minutes) for him to completely erase the video of Hana's Olympic demo reel from the web at Ron's request, plus programming the sub routine that routed out every download of the video from every computer hard drive. Wade moved the file into his own personal collection as part of the "digital trophy case" folder related to his work with Team Possible. He also made a note to do something nice for Monique _judging by the Club Banana interior the shot was taken from. _Then he opened the letter from Ron scanning the letters across the screen.

_Ah there we go nice thing for Monique: check._

He cheerfully cracked his fingers and typed away and within minutes his Wade bot was on its way to erase the last traces (physical and digital) of Hana's run. He fired off another quick reply to tell Kim the job was done when a familiar priority report appeared.

_So much for a peaceful day. Time to make a call.  
_

He reached down to his keyboard and pressed a button that was embossed with the familiar circular logo-

* * *

**Bueno Nacho**

**Beep-Beep-be-beep!**

***bzzt* **

Kim fought back a sigh of relief at the comforting sound of her Kimmunicator.

"Hey Wade, whats the sitch?" she asked.

"Kim, there's been a break in at the Middleton Mall. Someone's apparently set off the sprinklers in the lower floors, and well... maybe you should hear for yourself." Kim took the opportunity to set the Kimmunicator on the table to display mode. A thin concentrated beam of light split from the sensor above the screen of the blue pad to form a hologram video link.

_Man I cannot believe Wade will not install this for use with Zombie Mayhem. It'd be so badical to be kicking zombie butt in 3-D. _Ron thought longingly.

Wade disappeared and was replaced with a figure holding up what looked like a bargain bin universal remote, masked by a plastic glasses/nose beard disguise. Kim glanced over at Ron with a roll of her eyes.

"Frugal Lucre" they both sighed in exasperation and Kim eye rolled again for extra emphasis.

"I just don't know Ron. Some days I'm glad to put bad guys behind bars. When it's Frugral Lucre though, it feels like we could defeat him with a... whats the opposite of a sale anyway?" complained Kim.

"Outright _theft?" _answered Ron.

"Guy's lets focus on the video with the demands." said Monique.

"Don't worry Monique, Lucre is practically harmless, I'm honestly surprised he's even out of prison." said Ron with a wave before refocusing on the video. The trio of teens turned to the video.

"And zat is how all of ze major chain stores will bow before me! Frrugal Lucrre. If they do not give me 5 percent of their salez today I will flood every store across the nation using sprinklers causing incalculable damage to products and stock storage everywhere." Lucre declared with a pathetically fake evil accent.

"Well if the disguise wasn't enough, the threat alone would have been a give away." commented Kim.

"I've already flooded ze first floor of every major mall, and it will only get worse if the stores don't send money by ze end of the day. Chain stores of ze world you have 12 hours to send me the money before I zink your sales! _Ah_-_hahahahha-hah_!" Frugal Lucre cackled waving the remote before the frame froze.

"Kim it's pretty bad news. Lucre's hacked into the mall security systems using a backdoor entrance that was developed when Smarty Mart was planning a merger with malls to get Smarty Mart stores into every area. Somehow it seems like he's hooked everything up to a universal remote.

_Normally, I'd just hack into the system and fix things. Looks like you guys could use an exit here though, and Lucre might have something other than the remote. Besides, might as well get the team to capture him since he did manage to escape custody before, (if the computer reports are right) and I'll get to test run that new tracking chip I've been developing. _

"Alright Wade, the car's right outside and we've got mission gear in the trunk. Where we headed?" asked Kim. Ron picked up the Kimmunicator and a bag of Nacos to go, before grabbing Hana in her booster seat.

"Gotta jet Monique! I'll give you a call later tonight. We'll see you on Monday!" said Kim over her shoulder as she raced out hurrying Ron along.

"Bye, Monique! Hana, say goodbye to Monique."

"By-bye, Moni" said Hana cheerfully waving her hand at the dark teen from within her seat.

"Cya later, munchkin. Watch out for your big brother okay?" she said mock seriously reaching over to shake the hand waving at her. As Ron was leaving through the door (to an impatiently waiting Kim Possible) he heard Monique yell. "And don't forget you owe me a meal!"

"Let's go KP! Hana, ready to help us kick bad guy booty?" said Ron as he got into the other side of the car from Kim at the wheel. Kim checked that both of the Stoppable siblings were safely buckled in, before driving off and activating the Kimmunicator port on the dashboard.

"Alright Wade, where's Lucre?' asked Kim.

_Better not be his house again, it was downright awkweird when Mrs. Lurman tried to give us cookies at his trial. Still can't tell if she thinks we're his friends or not. _She glanced at Ron again. _Ron certainly had no trouble taking snacks._

"Uh... Kim, you're not going to believe this, but it seems like Francis is using the uhh... local Starbucks at the Middleton Mall to bounce his signal to the rest of the malls. Guess he really_ is_ on a budget after going to jail last time."

"Guess I'll at least get to have a nice hot chocolate before the day ends." Kim said with a strained grin.

_So was looking forward to just chilling with Ron and Hana for once. Francis I'm going to pack you straight back to your cell._

"We're on it Wade. Watch out Frugal Lucre! Team Possible, and the Han are coming to take you down! Ah-Booyah!" Ron chimed in to the kimmunicator, pumping his fists into the air in glee.

Hana was happy to see Ron laugh, and rocked around in her chair swinging her arms up in the air while sing-talking nonsense. Kim was turning the corner, caught the pair and couldn't help but smile fondly at them.

_Alright, maybe we can wrap this up quickly enough that there'll still be some time left for us. _

Rufus once again caught the narrowing of Kim's eyes into the determined look he saw before at Bueno Nacho. Game time.

* * *

**Back in Bueno Nacho**

Monique sat back in the recently vacated booth idly playing with the straw on her cup. Looks like it was off to adventure once again for the intrepid trio? _Do I count Hana, or Wade since he doesn't actually " go out into the field" as Kim and Ron describe it._

"Ah well, better focus on myself, still got some homework to do, and then I need to finish those sketches for class." Monique listed out loud. There was once again that odd pang of being left out to some degree when her two best friends jetted off to have their adventures without her.

_Even if it's only to the mall this time. Still,-_ she reasoned _-it's probably for the best. I can't see myself exactly making more time to go skydiving into a lair, or setting off a doomsday machine to explode. Well, not that and still keep a 3.7 GPA. Oh well, back to living vicariously through my friends. _She waited for a little longer before the expected shadow hovered at the table and she looked up.

"Hope this will do"

"That'll do just fine Ned." said Monique with a smile.

His arms held the usual platter of assorted tacos, nacho chips, and soft drinks.

She couldn't exactly remember when it had happened. She had talked to Ned barely in passing when she made her orders. Ron had seemed friendly enough with the branch manager of his favourite food store. At some point they had started to talk about the one thing they had in common besides the food when he had brought her her order.

Team Possible.

From then on once every few weeks when Monique was in Bueno Nacho alone, and the store didn't have many customers Ned would come by with a tray full of goodies in exchange for the latest scoop on the adventures and mishaps of the young crime fighting duo. Monique generally heard everything from either Kim or Ron, and on occasion even got news from Wade so she was an excellent source of information.

"So whats happened since the last time you filled me in?" asked Ned with the eager excitement of an avid reader getting a next chapter, or a TV serial fan when a new episode aired. Monique gave a grin at Ned's eagerness, before reaching out to the chips and soda, settling herself into a comfortable position.

"Well, apparently they were in a submarine when Ron crashed the sub into the fabled land of-" as she continued to recite the stories about Team Possible's latest adventures she mused how in some ways she and Ned were both living vicariously through their acquaintances. Ned obviously didn't find her any more attractive than all the other attractive teens coming and going every day into his store. She too didn't find Ned all that attractive, but while she got to relive the adventures (repeating the stories to him), she did get a sense of satisfaction knowing that she had someone to share this with. This sense of outsiders looking into another world.

They sat there for the rest of the afternoon swapping stories.

* * *

**Middleton Mall**

The purple Coupe drove into the parking lot of the Middleton Mall while the team had a quick meeting.

"So Kim, whats the plan?"

"Simple, snatch and grab Ron. It's Frugal Lucre, and he chose to do this in a public place. I've already got Wade on crowd control to get the people out of the coffee store. With any luck we'll find him there alone, and then it should be a simple matter of getting the remote before he can do anything." explained Kim.

"Hmm, and I'm guessing from this plan I'm the distraction while you nab the remote." said Ron a tad sourly.

"You got it distraction boy." smiled Kim warmly reaching over to put her hand over his. She reached over farther to whisper in his large ears.

"That... and if we can have this whole sitch fixed in less than half an hour, I was thinking maybe we could go back to your place. Put Hana to sleep." she whispered a little more softly in that breathy way she knew made him shiver. "Then maybe I can show you that new cheer routine we'll be practicing on Monday, so I can get some... feedback?" She leaned back to study his reaction to her little tease. She knew without having to check the mirror that she was blushing.

_I can't believe I just said that. I never even said anything half as suggestive to any of the other guys I've " seen". I might not be ready to do anything seriously adult yet, but it's fun to tease him from time to time. That and I know Ron likes to watch me cheer, and I... like him watching me. Okay, Possible cool your jets before you get too excited. That said, I definitely want to spend a couple hours on the couch making- _

She shook her head to clear her thoughts that were turning increasingly vivid. _Now is definitely not the time to be thinking of rewarding us for a job well done... especially when we haven't even started. _Kim took a moment to look over to her erstwhile boyfriend, who looked like he was having some kind of mental breakdown. He was blushing as well (although she couldn't compare their shades since she hadn't scoped herself out yet).

His eyes were still wide and unfocused, and he wasn't looking at her, his head trapped in the position her whispering had caught him in. The corners of his mouth which had apparently dropped open in the middle of their "conversation" was twitching at the corners possibly trying to form a grin.

_Hmm 30 seconds, not quite as long as a surprise kiss space out, but not bad either. _

Finally his brain seemed to shift gears enough that he could form a sentence. Looking dead ahead Ron Stoppable declared with a cocky (yet serious) face. "Frugal Lucre, Ron Stoppable is going to distract you so hard, you're going to forget your own face!"

Kim was forced to choke back a laugh, (which changed it into a snort to her embarrassment) even as she tried to calm her body from the laughing fit that was threatening to overwhelm her from Ron's "war cry".

_Deep_ _breath. _She thought as she stepped out of the parked car to head to the nearest entrance. She skidded to a stop at the glass reflection of the door.

Whirling around she hissed, "Ron what are you doing?"

"Uh... sprinting to make sure we get this done under half an hour?" asked a hopeful Ron Stoppable with the silver harness now strapped to his back.

"No! I mean what are you doing bringing Hana along?" she pointed.

"Look Kim, I can't just leave her in the car who knows what could happen to her in there without supervision. Like you said, she can probably take care of herself against people from the mall, and Francis isn't exactly Shego or Monkey Fist." countered Ron pushing past her to enter the mall.

_Okay, point. But still, _

"Ron we both know Hana's "capable", but the car is probably the safest place for her to be with all the upgrades we have on it. That and Wade could monitor her in there, and remote control the car to safety if anything does happen!" Kim said in exasperation. She sprinted again back into the lead. They had parked in the 2nd floor where the coffee shop was located, and she rapidly scoped out the level for exiting crowds that might indicate how successful Wade had been at getting people to evacuate.

_There! Now do I circle around to the outer level exit or take the ventilation shafts?_

Ron rubbed his neck nervously while he trailed after Kim.

"Okay so I forgot about Wade, but c'mon Kim. Hana might be your successor some day! Carrying on the grand tradition of handing out embarrassing defeats for evil-doers everywhere in badical Kim Possible fashion. Of course, if she ever gets a sidekick they'll probably never quite equal up to the _original_ sidekick, but I can see Hana being as good as you someday! Imagine that, two generations of teen heroes in one family, it would totally hurricane-rock!" His rambling slowed down as he thought about something new. "Duno where we'd find another Wade... but, hey! Just think about the awesome movies, and cartoons they could do about us! It'd be major moolah KP!"

_Hmm, even though I know he's mostly joking I wonder why... I'm still a little ticked off. Is it the idea of Hana replacing me someday? I never really thought about giving up my " missions." Truth is I didn't handle Team Impossible that well either. That and he should know better than calling himself my sidekick, I've said it like a thousand times since, we're partners. _

_Hmm, thinking about the future I know I want to go to college with Ron, and do something in International Diplomacy. After that I might stick with the independent setup we've got going now with Team Possible, or there might be an opening for us at Global Justice. Still an independent group might be harder to pull off if I have to pay for a house, bills, everything else an adult like Mom and Dad are providing for my family. _

_Maybe Hana will take over when I decide to qu- Now is definitely not the time. Focus on the mission and worry about the future later. One thing at a time. I'm not alone in this. I've done a lot of things this last decade, but the decisions I'm most proud of are the choices I've made regarding who supports me. Family, friends, Rufus, Wade, Ron... One way or another we'll get through this and whatever comes up, together._

Ron watched as his team leader/girlfriend raced on ahead clearly determining a way of attack. Sometimes, it surprised him to see just how serious Kim could be about a mission (even when it was a relatively easy one like this). He knew her well enough to tell that even if she brushed it off later as being "no big", right now her entire focus was on the complete success of her current sitch. She'd settle for no less than her own personal best (and maybe his as well). Well as always he'd leave it to her, look out for Kim (and now Hana) as best as he could, and help out in whatever way he was able. They both stopped at the magazine rack a couple feet away from the coffee shop, hidden by the rows of newspapers and tabloids.

"Okay Ron I'm looking at the schematics and the employees room seems to have an access door leading out to a hallway connected to the main floor." said Kim turning around to show him the diagram from the Kimmunicator.

"I'm guessing fire escape?" Even as he asked, Ron shifted to his side so Hana would be facing Kim while he was facing the shop.

_Take notes little sis, this is the role model you should be copying from if you wanna have your own teen-hero career someday. _

"Right, so in about 5 minutes I want you to enter the store and do your best to distract Lucre. I should be getting into position in the employee office by that time, and we'll hit him from both sides. We just have to make sure he doesn't get any chance to press anything on that remote. Sound good?" she outlined her plan quickly.

"You betcha KP, and while you're back there check out whether the rumors of the special employee only coffee cups are true, if they are I can start a legitimate plea for getting our own at Smarty Mart." Ron said. Kim opened her mouth to ask then shut it with another affectionate shake of her head.

"Okay Ron focus. Mission first, employee fringe benefits later. And watch out for Hana." with that she sped off to the side where the hallway was located and disappeared from sight past the doors.

Ron watched her go until the last wisp of red was past the door. Then he looked at his watch and counted down the minutes before making his move. He took off his left mission glove and looked at the silver blue ring there that shone softly. He couldn't tell for sure whether he was the only one who could hear its faint hum, or imagined the soft sheen that seemed to surround it.

_There shouldn't be any need for the Lotus Blade theatrics, but just in case I'll keep the gloves off. Can't take too many risks. _He thought once again feeling the weight on his back. The weigh that he had been charged with protecting.

As he continued to count off the remaining minutes while flexing his limbs he once again remade the vow in his own mind that he had repeated almost everyday since leaving Japan. _Mystical Monkey Power, Lotus Blade, Ron Factor, whatever it is I've got or was given, I swear I'll use all of them to keep you, Kim, Rufus, and everyone else I care about safe. Or my name isn't Ron Stoppable._

Okay one minute left to go. Time to start the show.

_Hana watch carefully, this is what you want in a sidekick: a naked mole rat. _The blond got up emerging from behind the shelf and started to walk lightly towards the store.

The Ronman and his baby sister came to play.

* * *

**Starbucks**

**3 minutes to mission start**

Francis Lurman aka "Frugal Lucre" was a bad man. He was not your average bad man in the sense of bad people that inhabited Team Possible's rouge gallery. There were those who had doubted his reasons and claims to evil back when he was in prison, somehow they couldn't connect the whiny voice, and the unmistakable "evil wannabe" feeling he seemed to project. Somehow, crooks couldn't shake the idea that Francis was more of a weekend warrior when it came to being an evil villain. (in comparison to someone like Doctor Dementor or Gemini)

Despite the general simplicity and low-budget productions of his evil schemes they were solid plans that would have caused great trouble and chaos if he had been allowed to succeed. Francis however, wasn't very discouraged by the failure of his first grand scheme to make everyone a dollar poorer. He had done some research and found that nobody had "succeeded" in their own take-over-the-world-schemes so far despite far higher budgets, and generally more impressive set pieces. Francis had decided that if he could succeed with his own self styled "bargain brand of villainy" where all the big shot villains had failed. Namely in defeating Kim Possible and her blonde sidekick, with surprisingly smart shopping sense, he'd immediately be granted access as an A-Lister.

It had been tough in the joint what with his mother's weekly visits to pass him baked goods, and asking him whether he had made any new friends. Still thanks to dedicated savings and coupons for employees from Smarty Mart that he had rigged the computer to continue sending to his house, only 2 months later his mom had saved enough to post bail. He had hacked the records to say he escaped, which would probably cause trouble later on, but for now he was trying to mend his rep. While he was being escorted off the premises he had heard one of the guards telling the rest of the inmates he had been let out. It almost caused him to tear up at the way they had shouted and cheered in support of his return to freedom. No doubt they all had big expectations for him after all his talks of teaming up with one super villain or another.

His funds were down though, and he needed a quick scheme that would get him enough money to try something more ambitious. He had quickly settled down to go over the e-mails from Smarty Mart HQ and learned about the merger plans they had with the malls. Some more hacking revealed the protocols for linking the mall security controls into an integrated circuit with (the planned) Smarty Mart stores in a seamless and efficient manner. The inklings of the plan were coming together just as he saw the brochure containing the universal remote and Frugal Lucre had his latest scheme well under way, all for the price of 9.99.

"Francis do you want some ham and cheese sandwiches?" his mother called down to the basement. She was glad he was applying himself, but she wished he would go out some more and meet more new people.

"Not now, Maaa. I'm planning to take over every mall and ransom all the companies in them. Ahh-haahahahahah!" echoed back from the basement.

"Okay dear, dinner will be in a few more hours, so come up by then!" she announced.

_I'll show them. I'll show them all! Frugal Lucre will have his revenge, Kim Possible!_

* * *

**2 minutes to mission start**

Kim carefully made her way through the hallway occasionally checking doors to make sure she hadn't passed the coffee shop. Wade had managed to disarm the fire alarm for that particular set of doors, reactivating them once she was past. She glanced down at her wrist watch Kimmunicator where a glowing yellow icon in the shape of a wave signal pulsated softly.

_Definitely need to thank Wade more for what he does._

She wasn't entirely sure she understood from his description, but basically one of the new functions was some kind of electronic scrambler that she could set to disabling security cameras as she moved. A special frequency electromagnetic wave produced a form of static that would appear on the videos, causing either her image to distort or for the video to go black completely. He was working on fine tuning it for other electronics, but she was definitely pleased with giving it a trial run now before using it in Drakkens' next lair or something equally serious. (Even if using vents mostly negated that need.)

"How's the jammer working Wade?" she whispered into the mike/headphone set that detached from the wristwatch.

"It's doing pretty well Kim, I've grabbed the video feeds and you're basically appearing as a kind of _pixelated_ blur working through the hallway. With a couple more weeks I might be able to develop a counter signal that covers up even that."

"You rock Wade! Kim out."

_Sometimes Ron jokes about us being secret agents. I've met Will Du'ghh and I can safely say that's not the kind of secret agent I want to be. I have to admit though, getting new inventions from Wade really does makes me feel like I'm in a 007 movie.  
_

Kim finally reached the correct door and a quick sweep of her wrist Kimmunicator unlocked the electronic door. She moved swiftly, crouching down once she was in to survey the area.

_Okay, room seems clear, we've got a few lockers and a desk. _She peeked up through the door leading to the coffee shop area. _There's Lucre at the corner next to the computers. _

_The Baristas, store manager, and a waiter are still here, but it seems like everyone else got out. Chalk it up to another thing I should ask Wade about.  
_

She checked her watch one last time. 1 minute left. She motioned through the door at the staff and by the time the waiter was safe she was moving in place. Now all she had to do was wait for Ron to do his distraction.

_Alright Possible, here we go._

* * *

**Mission underway**

"Ah, Frugal Lucre, how's it going my man? Ron called out loudly eager to get Lucres' attention. Lucre had been hitting refresh to check on the donations, and flinched at the boisterous voice of what could only be Ron Stoppable that sidekick of Kim Possible.

"I saw you got out, and I have the latest issue of Smarty Mar- Woah! Francis, I know going to the slammer can mess with your mind, but what happened to you in there dude? You came out thinking you were a duck?" He turned around expecting to see Team Possible and was somewhat surprised to see only the blonde.

"Well, well... if it isn't _Ron Stoppable_. I see you've come to stop me haven't you? Well, you may have discovered my base of operations, but I still have the remote!" Lucre exclaimed triumphantly. "If you come any closer I press this button and it's water works for every mall in America! Aha-hahahahahahahah!" he cackled wildly keeping the remote close.

"As for the duck well, this yellow raincoat is just a precaution in case things get a little _wet_ around here. Can't go getting my only smart mart vest wet now that they've taken away all of my old uniforms." He grumbled. "I couldn't help it, if the only coat on sale was the kiddy duck set with the orange boots and pullover duck head. Evil doesn't happen for free you know." Lucre growled in what might pass for a hostile fashion.

Ron, Rufus, and Hana shared a moment.

"Honestly, even I kinda feel embarassed for the guy. That's pretty much rock bottom isn't it?" Ron confided quietly.

"**Uh-huh, uh-huh, saaddd"** Rufus could only agree.

Hana seemed to be giving her brother look of skepticism at them being here at all.

"Whoa! Buddy, I didn't come to stop you. I'm just out here with my baby sister today for a trip to the mall." He said palms outstretched motioning at the silver pack. "We gotta take her out of the house every now and then, or she gets super cranky. Then I have to chase her, and believe you _me,_ that's no walk in the park." Ron explained with a sheepish grin.

Lucre seemed to have adopted Hanas' skeptical stare.

"To be honest, Lucre we didn't even hear about your threat. Are you sure anybody knows you're even trying to pull something?" He said slowly trying to instill doubt. "I mean if you were, surely Kim would have been here by now putting a stop to your scheme right?" Ron said carelessly moving closer.

_Alright that flash of red should be KP getting in position. I just have to get a little closer and immobilize him, or keep him distracted long enough for Kim to pull off an ambush. _

"Ha! You think you can trick me into letting my guard down don't you? Well Frugal Lucre shops smart, you don't even have a sister! You honestly expect me to fall for zis zister of yours?" He said with another laugh before stepping back. "Stay _away_! One more step, and I turn every mall into a new water theme park! You can take your sister to this one, if you ever get one! AH-HAHAHAHAHAH!"

_So done with the evil laugh, _Kim groused to herself. She had managed to sneak up behind Lucre so that he was only a foot away. Fortunately, Ron had his complete attention and she was free to make her way closer. The only problem was Lucre was keeping the remote close to his chest, and she didn't want to tackle him on the off chance that he would hit a button setting off the sprinklers.

Ron was also careful not to slip up, and draw attention to Kim with his eyes. He kept them focused on Lucre, and decided it was time to step up the distraction game a notch.

"Hey Lucre, look I know you're big on the whole more evil for less and everything. I just think nobody's going to buy it dude. I mean look at you." He gestured to their environment vaguely. "You're here in a coffee shop making demands that personally, I don't think anyone's going to pay attention to. Drakken has Shego, Gemini has Agent Alpha, heck even Monkey Fist has a whole host of scary ninja monkeys. They step out and people know they mean _business_. They've got flair, and style and that's a huge part of today's villainy game my friend." Ron casually explained in an increasingly friendly, mentoring tone.

"Yes, that is true, back in the cell a lot of people seemed to laugh at the idea of my kind of evil. But I'll show them, cost-effective villainy is the future. I'm thinking of going green, and recycling schemes too." said Lucre building up steam. This had the effect of making him gesticulate with his hands more to prove his point.

Kim noticed this, and motioned for Ron to keep it up.

_Alright, just get him a little more excited, and I'll knock it right out of his hands._

Ron gave a little nod as if to agree with the rant. "Sure Lucre, you have a dream, just like I have a dream to someday see the installation of the mind reading home delivery Bueno Nacho. I could just sit in my room and wallah- instant Naco delivery when I think about it." Ron described the future longingly.

_Whoops. Looks like Kim's "_get on with it Ron_" glare is in full effect_

"The point is yes, you should work for your dreams, and if this is it you should pursue it. I'm just saying villainy is like an art form. You're a performer for the whole world. I mean if you're not going to give it the proper respect it deserves why bother? You could just be a serving lady, or camp teacher instead if you wanted to be plain evil." He began warming up to his subject.

_Good Lucre seems to be buying it. _Kim thought torn between amusement and consternation.

"I can tell however, you were meant for greater things! Frugal Lucre super villain _extrordinaire_!" He spread his hands out wide as if to illustrate a scrolling marquee board with Frugal Lucre embellished in lights. "But for that you need to have some level of _class_. You can still do the coupon checking evil you want to be known for, just splurge a little when it comes to the disguises and evil fashion, okay?" Ron had his hands around Lucre's shoulders by now in a conspiratorial fashion.

"Hmm, yes, it is hard to get respect I guess. I will consider your words Ron Stoppable! However, you still can't stop me! Not while I have this remote!" With a dramatic flourish he pushed Ron aside holding the remote above his head.

_Perfect!_ thought Kim.

"Now Rufus!" Ron yelled bringing it all home.

"Wha-hey! Get away you little pest!" cried out a flailing Lucre as Rufus climbed up in a spiral around Lucre's torso aiming for the remote. Ron had casually let Rufus slip out of his pants pocket earlier while talking. Lucre continued to flail around using his other hand to paw at the pink mole rat crashing into chairs and tables.

"Give it up Lucre, we're recalling your whole line! Customer complaints, and you know the Smarty Mart rules: The customer is always right!" Kim quipped with a smirk as she leapt from a table kicking the back of his hand, and knocking the remote free.

"RON!" she yelled watching it tumble in the air in a lazy spin.

"On it, KP!" He shouted weaving through the furniture. Time seemed to slow as he realized that there were just too many chairs and tables in the way and he wasn't positive he'd be able to grab the remote before it hit the floor.

_Wade warned us an unlucky jolt could set the whole thing off anyway, can't let it hit the floor! Think Stoppable what've you got? Oh badical! And Wade thought I was wasting my time installing one of these. I'm trusting you Hana, he thought desperately to his baby sister riding strapped to his chest._

Ron couldn't have been sure, but he thought he felt a brief surge of feelings swirling for a moment, and barely noticed the brief outline of blue around his form and Hanas. Somehow he understood everything would be fine. Time seemed to speed up again as he reached down to the harness and pressed a quick set of buttons on the side.

"Cannonball ejector seat, GO!" he cried aiming the opening of the harness at the remote falling in the air.

Kim gaped in disbelief, Lucre from his position restrained on the floor looked up in confusion, and Ron and Rufus whooped as there was a pressure blast of air while Hana was ejected into the air in a direct line with the white piece of plastic. Hana really seemed to cannonball before twisting in time to grab the remote control in both hands, landing with a single foot on one of the tables. She followed this up with a pirouette before sitting down with a plop laughing happily.

"Bra-durr! BOO'M! Fly! BOOM! Wheeee!" It was official, Hana was fearless.

She was also smashing the controller on the table.

"**Hana**! _**NO**_!" cried out Ron in horror. He threw both arms over his head, and closed his eyes waiting for the sudden torrent of water to rain from the heavens.

"Ron, I think we got lucky. Hana seems to have destroyed the remote without triggering the sprinkler system." Kim said dryly while she tied up Lucre and contacted Wade.

"Huh? Oh, right well better get Hana away from all those broken pieces. C'mon Hana, you're going back in the S.H.I.N.O..I" he put on his best no nonsense face, arms grasping hers.

"Brother, Fli' Fly!" she pleaded insistently. Ron thought for a second before grinning down at her.

"Okay, as a reward for doing so well. After that though we've gotta behave ourselves, okay? That and no telling mom or dad what happened today. Promise?"

"Prah-mis!" she nodded seriously holding our her pinky finger like she had been taught.

"Alright one stop express flight, Ron Stoppable your captain here, speaking. We hope you enjoy the ride because it's going to be a bumpy one folks!"

Kim looked back at the pair while Ron tossed Hana up a foot or two before catching her, while Hana was obviously having the time of her life screaming and kicking. The police were going to be here any minute now to take Frugal Lucre off of her hands. She sneaked a peek at the watch timer. 18:45.

_I should probably yell at Ron for putting Hana in such a dangerous position. In fact I am going to lecture him about it, he should know better than shooting his sister into the air, whether he designed that thing or not. The fact that they saved the day doesn't matter. On the other hand I know I saw a blue outline for a second, and I'm positive I heard an echo of a monkey screech. That means Monkey Power, and I'm not quite sure where that fits into things.  
_

_It really annoys me that there's things about Ron I don't know after all this time. I'm pretty sure he already knows everything about me with one or two exceptions._

She watched as Ron finished giving Hana her air lift before tucking her back into the harness, and strapping it back across his chest. Rufus got a high five before going to sleep in his pants pocket.

_It's part of the reason why whenever he excels at things I don't, I get so angry. It's another reminder that I don't know things about him, and that feels like distance. It's just another one of those things I'm realizing about myself ever since we did the whole bf/gf thing. I mean I'm glad there are things I don't know about him, I'm glad sometimes when I discover things about him I never knew. But before this, it felt like Ron could change into someone I wouldn't recognize, and occasionally I got glimpses of a Ron I wouldn't be best friends with.  
_

_Although that probably goes for me too. _

Kim deliberately cleared her mind waiting for Ron to approach.

"Looks like another tally on our win column KP." Ron crowed with a little jig.

"Seems like it, although I think I'm going to have a talk with the quarterback about his _plays." _Kim said with a tone that made it clear she wasn't amused by Ron's last tactic.

***Gulp* **"Oh hey Kim, I uh, know it looks like I just aimed Hana at the remote, but I knew it was going to be okay! I mean I can't exactly explain how! I just knew..." he petered out nervously rubbing the back of his neck, glancing up to meet her rather cool gaze.

"Ah Kim Possible! Good job again on apprehendin' this fella." came a gruff voice from behind them.

"Sgt. Hobble, we've got one Frugal Lucre, aka Francis Lurman waiting for you. There's evidence of the remote control device he used to control the mall's security systems behind us at the table there. It was unfortunately smashed during the apprehension, but you should find his prints, and Wade will coordinate with any evidence he captured." Kim gave her succinct version of what happened.

Sgt. Hobble filled out the last of the witness testimony papers, before clipping the pen back to the board. "Thanks again Miss Possible, respects from me and my precinct for your work here." he said with a tip of his hat.

"No problem Sgt., and I had help from my own team. Ron Stoppable, Rufus, and Wade." she said with a wave of her hand to include her team. She had debated for half a second on whether to include Ron not wanting to encourage such reckless behaviour using Hana like that, but in the end decided it would do him more good than bad. She'd gone a long way to sharing credit for whatever successes she had in the field.

_Guess that's some of the good traits Ron's rubbing off on me. _They said their goodbyes and by the time they made it to the car they were all feeling a little tapped out.

"Hey KP, mind if I put on a CD?" asked Ron mumbling a little because Hana seemed to be tired.

"Sure Ron," she answered turning the ignition and backing out of the parking lot.

Soft piano music filled the interior and Kim resisted a large yawn.

_Classical music? Why would Ron-ah. _She understood once she spied the case. _Mozart for developing children. Good luck, Hana looks like you'll need it._ She cast her sympathies to the resting toddler in the back.

"Kim I got you something before we left. You looked tired, so I got you a little pick me up." Ron said with a flourish of his hands producing two plastic cups in the cup holder.

"When did you get those Ron?" Kim asked even as she reached down for the nearest cup to take a sip at the red light. Tantalizing, delicious, hot chocolate flowed into her mouth making her sigh with contentment. _That hit the spot._

"Saw you giving your statement, and figured you might still want that hot chocolate you mentioned before. Since nobody was tending the bar I figured I'd whip up something, you know, to make up for today." he answered.

"Ron this is delicious! What is this? I mean I know it's hot chocolate, but it seems like there's something else." she said amazed at just how delicious the hot chocolate was, and how much she seemed to perk up after having had a couple sips.

"Ah Kimila, you're holding a unique blend made by yours truly." Ron said with a mock bow. "Almonds, milk, a little ground peanut butter, some cream, sugar, heavy doses of dark and white chocolate, a little Italian Roast coffee, sprinkle of cinnamon, and of course marshmallows. I just kinda put it together, but don't worry I left a generous tip at the counter." said Ron.

"Don't think this clears you with what you did to Hana." she said with a mock serious frown.

"But Kim I-"protested Ron.

"Ron we're going back to your house, and we'll put Hana and Rufus to sleep. After that you and I are going to have a serious discussion about what S.O.P is regarding children." she paused here to judge his reaction while she waited for the light to change.

Ron's stared down morosely.

_If only I could explain to Kim how I knew things would turn out okay. Heck, I'm not even sure now I did the right thing.  
_

* * *

As she pulled into the Stoppable driveway she shut off the engine. Before unbuckling Kim turned to Ron and carefully lifted him up by his chin so he was facing her. She was careful not to smile, and was even more pleased when she didn't blush. "Ron after we have our discussion I still want your critique on the new cheer routine I have planned."

It took him another minute for the words to catch up to his brain, but his eyes shot up and he grinned a large sloppy grin. In a soft voice "Ah-Booyah! I'm all about watching my _beautiful_ BF-GF head cheerleader doing some cheerleading."

She grinned slyly back, "Well then _Mad Dog_ I think you'd better hurry up and get everyone else in bed."

Kim put Rufus in his cage before heading to the bathroom to change. She made a note to get Ron to clean up his attic room. He'd been fastidious with Hana's room, but seemed content to let the mess build up in his own. The Stoppable's weren't due back until the day after tomorrow technically, late Sunday night. Ron should have put Hana in her crib by now. She was tempted to take a peek at the sleeping girl but figured she'd be stuck fawning over the sleeping child.

_Besides I think I deserve a little Ronshine after everything today_. She stepped out into the living room where Ron was sprawled out on the sofa.

"C'mon Ron, let's get our talk out of the way and then we can..." she was tempted to sigh.

_Should have known. Ron Stoppable is the sensei of Sleeping. _She rounded around the sofa and looked at her boyfriend who was clearly dead to the world. _Guess the talk will have to wait..._ she thought while idly brushing his hair.

She took another second staring at his slightly open mouth, closed eyes, rhythmic crest and fall of his chest, and the general "at peace with the world" pose he adopted as he slept. She smiled fondly, before reaching over to grab a blanket lying conveniently on the sofa top. She warred within herself for another moment before giving in.

_It's not like anyone will see us, and I'll probably be up and gone before he wakes up. _She reasoned. Moving carefully so as not to disturb the sleeping blonde, she carefully manipulated herself into the curve of his body spooning into his frame with her back. Sensing the heat of the another body Ron, still asleep, instinctively shifted to his side so he could curl around Kim's slightly thinner frame, before settling a forearm across her stomach. Kim fought down the urge to call out, reasoning that Ron had done it unintentionally.

I_t'd be pretty funny to see him freak out when he wakes up, besides this kinda hug isn't all that different than when we camp out in front of the TV at my house. We've just never exactly gotten to do any casual sleep-resting! Resting together!_

Kim almost did call out this time, when she felt him nuzzle with his nose into her hair. It was somehow simultaneously exciting and yet calming.

She felt him hold her a little more securely, before relaxing into a deeper sleep.

_Guess I know what Ron would do if he didn't have a Panderoo to sleep with. _

She shifted the blanket carefully over the both of them.

_This is nice. _she mused half consciously_. _

_I should get up, shouldn't be sleep-... huh? _

_Right... so warm. _

_Just resting... _

_just for a _

_moment._

Outside the sun set over the two young lovers cuddled together.

* * *

Hana Stoppable in her sleep flashed blue for a moment, smiled a small sweet smile before sucking on her thumb.

* * *

_**Preview:**_

"Wade where is Kim and Ron?" asked a rather harried Mr. Possible.

"Uh well Mr. Possible, ya see Kim and Ron were on a mission and uhh-"Wade replied sweating a bit.

* * *

_**Author's notes:**_

I mentioned this before in a note to one of the reviewers, leave a message if you catch any mistakes with characters, spelling, punctuation etc, I'll make a note of it and change things if they don't make sense.

Also if anyone feels like they want to beta read this or anything I'd be willing to send this out to them. I'm pretty bad at grammar so if you're confident in that area I'd appreciate the help.

Anyway that's all hope you enjoyed it.


	3. DatM: Putting it all in Perspective

_**Days of Hana**_

_**The Mall part 3**_

**by unwrittenaria**

* * *

disclaimer: nothing owned by me. All characters belong to their respective creators and disney.

* * *

**Stoppable Residence**

Ron woke up to a pleasant sensation of warmth bundled up against him, followed by a scent he'd recognize anywhere.

_Strawberries, shampoo, and that hint of some mixture of spice and lemon. _He kept his eyes closed, luxuriating in the smell that triggered memories of Kim half certain he was still dreaming. At any rate he'd prefer to continue enjoying this while he could.

He absentmindedly burrowed deeper into what he realized a minute later must be Kims hair.

_Surprisingly real texture for a dream... _Ron thought to himself, lost in a haze of flickering memories of green eyes, and red hair.

The soft form he had pulled against him made an odd noise he couldn't quite decipher, half asleep as he was. Ron tried in vain to block out the sunlight filtering through his window shades by clenching his eyes shut harder. Finally, after another minute he gave up and began to open his eyes. He would have gotten up out of his bed as well, but one of his arms seemed to be trapped.

_Maybe I slept on it and it went numb again. *****_**Yawn **_Hmm... I don't remember getting to my room after we got back yesterday. _He thought knowing it must have been _fun_ to lug him up the stairs dead tired as he was yesterday. _Better remember to call Kim later, and thank her for getting me in here somehow. That, and apologize for falling asleep. Man, I was so looking forward to seeing her routine. _He groused at the thought of Kim dancing in front him. 

_Stoppable luck strikes again I guess._

He consoled himself knowing that he'd eventually get to see it Monday along with the rest of the team. _Just because he wasn't the Middleton mascot any longer didn't mean he couldn't be there to cheer them on. Kim's even taken the practice next to the football field a couple times to 'raise' morale._ He thought to himself with a grin at Kim showing off a little for his sake. By now he was fully up and rubbing his eyes with his free hand. It took no time at all for him to realize that his arm wasn't numb from a bad sleeping position, it was trapped under the weight of the rather recent object of his dreams. He took a moment to analyze his shock at this welcome yet terrifying truth.

Kim Possible had slept in his bed- make that the living room couch, well the point was they had slept next to each other the whole night.

This was an incident unprecedented since the days of fifth grade sleepovers. Even if they had often spent a night over at each others' homes, it had never happened in the same bed, without secret parental observation, since those middle school days when puberty was but a vague idea. Of course the real concern here was what Kim's parents would think, once they discovered Kim had spent the night over here without telling them, and that worse yet she had been lying in his arms the whole time. Sure, nothing black hole worthy had occurred that he could recall, and he hoped that none of his... more _private_ dreams had occurred. (Hey! He couldn't help it, and he defied anyone who was with Kim, much less as in love with her as he was to refrain from having the occasional stray thoughts about his girlfriend.) That didn't mean Kims' parents would be pleased with either of them. They generally showed an incredible amount of trust and leeway given Team Possibles circumstances, but that earned them no free passes when it came to dating.

_Man this tanks! Worst possible scenario they refrain her from seeing me ever again, because I'm turning into a bad influence. I mean I didn't even know she was sleeping next to me! If I had well, okay I wouldn't exactly have pushed her out or anything. But it would have been nice to have at least enjoyed _that,_ before I get sent off to explore the cosmos. _

There was a part of Ron that understood Dr. James Timothy Possible was joking. (in theses instances, in his mind the full names rolled out instead of the usual Dr. and Mrs. Dr. P)

Possibly.

_Probably_.

If anything he knew he could count on Kim to prepare him with proper Bueno Nacho rations should he have to leave the Earth forever, or at the very least set him on a return course with Wades help.

_She did take that rocket up to help me once, she'd probably be willing to do it again._

Somehow, though he knew she wouldn't defy her family for dating him. Even if she did, it would cause a painful rift in her that he would never allow himself to be the cause of.

_Maybe I can talk to Mrs. Dr. P first. She seems to be on my side when it comes to me and Kim, and I could probably check with Wade. _That thought in particular made him feel a lot better.

Clan Possible would always be like a second family to him, but Mrs. Dr. P had always been extra kind to him growing up. Her approval had meant the world to him.

_Maybe he's got the house wired, or he could have been monitoring me somehow! Either way I might be able to prove my innocence if I could dig up some kind of footage. _

Ron was busy thinking up explanations, or various forms of grovelling (and/or pleas of mercy) so he didn't feel the shift in the couch. He did notice when the mass trapping his arm rolled over some more so that it was now occupying much of his chest. His brain scrabbled to save whatever half baked plans he had, before shutting down completely now that his higher thought processes focused entirely on what was right in front of him.

For what felt like the millionth time, since he saw her Ron felt his mouth go a little dry. Kim was sleeping comfortably with her mouth slightly open and a couple of locks obscuring her face after she turned. Ron felt his heart triple time, (approaching the rate used for facing off against monkeys) and used his free hand to gently pull back her hair, careful to tuck it behind her ear. Leaving him with a mostly unobstructed view of her sleeping face.

Kim seemed to find the hair a little itchy, and scrunched her nose a little while her brow creased. Seeking relief, she threw her arms around his neck and began nuzzling his collar (and much of his upper torso/face, he wasn't sure of anything anymore) with her nose (and her eyes, and her forehead, but somehow it was the occasional brush of her lips that caused shivers).

Ron was absolutely positive he'd die at any minute now, what with the way his heart was going to give out from all the beating. He'd been surprised it hadn't thumped Kim right off him. Perhaps Ron's heart really would have burst out of his chest had Kim not decided her pillow was getting a bit big.

_Too big for Panderoo._

She was tempted to ignore that, and was halfway through swinging her leg around so she could straddle the cozily warm pillow, when the events of the day before rushed back. Kim immediately woke up in a way that would have been the envy of early morning coffee dependents everywhere. (Not the least of which being they could have gotten their morning cup that much faster.) There was a relatively quick untangling, then some floundering from the usually graceful teen as she tried to move out of the jumble of blankets, and intertwined limbs. Later, she would reflect on how well she had slept even if there were some awkward positions when Ron moved around, but for now it was a comical dance of moving so that she didn't rub up too much against Ron while trying to get off the couch.

Ron tried to assist her by supporting her hands, which in turn caused her to fall back down with a cry, steadying herself with her palms on his chest. This of course, pushed Ron back down with an *_**oomph**_* causing his lower half to buck up knocking Kim, who was forced to sit back down.

On top of Ron.

Straddling his waist in a way that would have popped a blood vessel in Dr. Possibles' brain had he been there to witness it. (Which would have been a sad day for the space program and the general future of mankind) Eyes bugging out Ron put his hands on Kim's waist to lift her off in a hurry, and was surprised at the shriek he heard from above him.

"Kim! Did I hurt you?" Ron asked frantically, unknowingly squeezing her waist again.

"Ahhh! Ron stop-" Kim cried again, arms moving up to restrain his.

"_Huh_?" _What was wron-wait. _ A dirty grin spread over his face. Ron Stoppable had definite experience with this. It had happened enough when they were children, declining as they grew older, and it no longer became as appropriate in public or private even as best friends of the opposite sex. Still, if his memories served him correctly, it was about time for some payback for all those times he _lost._

Kim who had been looking down at Ron saw the grin, and felt her stomach clench.

_"Ron,"_ she said fearfully. "Ron let me go... If you so much as-pft-hahah-"

"What's wrong _Kimberly_ _Anne?"_ Pitching his tone between Zorpox and his own voice. He was now deliberately squeezing her sides, as she squirmed trying to keep from screaming.

"R-rr-R-Ron, ***gasp*** sto-pfth-ahhHaHA-sto-ah-st-_Stop_ it!" She tried desperately to move away, for once unable to leverage her arms to keep him from tickling her.

Ron was having none of it though, and was now mocking the helpless, laughing redhead.

"Well, _well_, _**well**,_ _Kimberly_ _Anne,_ it seems I have discovered your _real_ weakness. Foolish of you to get so close to me in your efforts to stop me. A-booyahahaha! I think, I might be inclined to stop... if you _zurr-render_." He began to grin. He was delighted with how Kim squirmed above him, shaking her head from side to side, desperately trying to remove his hands from her shaking sides, all while making sputtered threats in between laughing.

"ing-to HAHA- ***Snort*** to-_HAHAha_-_k-kill_-yo" he heard between focusing on alternating his attacks between her sides and her neck. Luckily for Ron, Kims' knees were bent when she sat down, or she would have probably kicked him by now with all the flailing she was doing.

"So, _Miss Possible, _you plan to kill me when you are free? _Unfortunate_, I had hoped to settle this with honor. To see one so famed as yourself to fall so low. Pity. Alas you leave me no choice, but to finish you off here." Ron continued grinning, laughing along now as Kim tried to glare, before she was convulsing with laughter again.

"You will find this death trap not so easy to escape, so long _Kim_ _Possible. _ You think you're all that but now we both know you're_ not_." He was hamming it up by now. Careful to avoid her flailing arms he sat up quickly, and spun her around trapping her against his chest.

"ppable-ahhaHAa-*_wheeze_*-ha-_i'll_-ha_HAha_-m-ma" the rest of Kim's threat was lost as her head was trapped against his shoulder. Even as Ron crossed his arms restricting her movements, giving him full access to her sides and neck.

She was crying now, and sorely out of breath from all the tickling, but unwilling to surrender. Her whole body ached from the continuous wracking laughter that assailed her as her boyfriend murmured in her ear cheerfully, "Give up KP, you can't win this one."

He should have known better by now of course. No one beats Kim Possible! (challenging her to physical feats wasn't an indication of intelligence either)

Acting on instinct now, and knowing it wouldn't be long before she was completely exhausted, Kim arched her whole body, tilting her head slightly to attack the only area within her reach. It was dangerous for her laughing uncontrollably as she was, to stick her tongue out to lick Ron's neck, but she did it anyway. As planned Ron froze for a second at the unexpected contact, but that was all the opening the redhead needed. Adrenaline flooding her system, she spun herself in place, and within seconds the roles were reversed with Ron frantically trying to push Kim away even as Kim stuck close tickling him mercilessly.

"awww-pft-hahahah-Ki-Kim-_ahAhah_-I'-ipft-hahah-sorr-" Ron cried resisting even as he kept himself from pushing too hard, which was the same obstacle she had faced earlier.

"Cheeky boyfriends who think they can take advantage of a girl who knows the lost art of tickle-kung-fu should _know_ better!" She laughed tickling furiously. She leaned down to his large ears, and began to blow softly causing him to jerk around uncontrollably.

"n-nnnn-_NNOOO_-O ***gasp*** ahaha Kk-kp!"

Unnoticed by the flushed pair wrestling and laughing, was the repeated chiming of the Kimmunicator at the table. It buzzed a few more times lighting up, before cutting off.

* * *

**Wade's Home**

Say what you want about the microchip and the ethical problems it presented. It had been useful on more than one occasion when one member of Team Possible had gone missing as was frequently the case, or just in case the other member wanted to make sure the other wasn't heading secretly to Japan. Still Wade tried to use it as little as possible given how much a breach of privacy it was. He half dreaded the day when he would have to talk to both members, about how he had them secretly chipped. Back when they had started out as Kim and Ron were still preteens, it seemed like a natural precaution to have a way to find them, or alert adult authorities in case Team Possible failed. As the years went by and the missions piled up, their track record spoke for themselves. He generally had no need for using it on Kim who always had her Kimmunicator (either one) on her now, but Ron still occasionally got kidnapped, or lost, or forgot his own Kimmunicator. Nevertheless, it was saved for strict emergencies (of the GE Kim, or serious kind).

The Possibles calling him by video call was definitely of the serious variety.

Kim had given him a quick update following the Lucre mission yesterday, and while he knew they had headed to Ron's home afterwards he had signed off after their usual exchange. Generally, Kim was the one who updated her parents if she was staying over, and if she needed Wade to cover she told him.

_Kimmunicator frequency indicates they should be at Ron's place. Still, they might have left it there, better double check. _He typed initializing the receiver for Ron's chip first. Usually, wherever Ron was Kim would probably be close by._ Or perhaps it was the other way around. _

He studied the readings from the chip. Definitely at home. Elevated physical readings all around. Perhaps Ron was doing some training, he had sparred on occasion with Kim some more following their return from Yamanouchi. Despite that, it wasn't a given that Kim was sparring with him given the early hour so he started up Kim's chip as well. Similarly elevated readings, which was strange given how Kim was in much better shape speaking in comparison. Then he looked at the location reading and almost spit out his waffle.

_Okay, they could be wrestling. Let's not jump to conclusions like Ron, or Kim on a bad day. Even if it is kinda early, and they seemed to have slept over together. That doesn't mean anything! Although Ron did mention the Stoppables are away this weekend... _Wade tried not to flush.

He had been on the internet long enough to know nearly everything there was to be know about anything. It wasn't quite as interesting to him yet, and he had sworn on his hard drive that he wouldn't work his way around the parental programs in place, but it wasn't entirely possible to filter everything. While he was 98% certain they weren't engaging in anything inappropriate, he wasn't going to control the Kimmunicator to find out for sure. Looks like he'd be covering for Kim with the Possibles.

_Kim, Ron you guys owe me._

_

* * *

_**Possible Residence**

It was a mildly anxious looking Anne Possible that greeted him. One look at the screen told him that Kims father, James wasn't here, which he gave a sigh of relief at.

Anne Possible noted that with the skill of a medical observer who was the best at what she did. While she wasn't part of the hospital diagnostics team, medical training taught observation skills of the highest calibre.

To say nothing of her much more impressive mom sense tingling.

Wade might have been a genius, but he was still a kid and still rather poor at hiding his emotions.

_I __guess that's the side effect of having fewer social skills when you choose to spend all day interacting through video and texts. _Mrs. Dr. P mused to herself.

She was tempted to make a note of it with Kim somehow, but she decided it wasn't her place. Wade had his own mother, and he was turning into a wonderful young man what with all the good he did with Kim and Ron. That said, it would be a while before a member of Team Possible got something past her. She smirked inwardly.

"Hi, Dr. Possible." Wade said brightly once he saw he was connected. "Where did James go?"

While Wade was predisposed to calling them Dr. Possible/s, James had insisted Wade call him by his first name. He had explained that they were fellow scientists and friends, (after that one incident where they had worked together to reposition the space centre) and felt that Wade deserved to call him by his first name as intellectual equals. Wade has blushed a darker shade that was harder to spot with his room lighting, and from then on it was James when he called to check in.

"Hello, Wade." She greeted pleasantly.

"James went out to send Jim and Tim to school in the car. We decided it was the only way to make sure nothing happened while they were on their way there." She said with a sad bemused smile and arching eyebrows. Wade nodded in understanding, if not sympathy, while not quite as technologically destructive as the Tweebs, Ron had similar "incidents" before involving mission gear. They both took a second to grin at each other.

"So Wade, did you find Kimmie and Ron?" _pause to see if he refutes the "and." No, that probably means they're with each other. Ron's house then? And if Wade doesn't want me to know that then... _

"I remember getting a message from Kim last night about a mission at a mall, possibly that she was going to be late or miss dinner all together. I saved her a plate, but I checked the fridge this morning and it doesn't seem like she ate, and her bed doesn't seem to have been slept in. Did anything happen? Another mission?" She was careful to keep the grin off her face while interjecting the sufficient amount of mother worry necessary for a guilt trip. She was worried of course, just perhaps not as much as she seemed right now.

"Oh, Mrs. Possible, they uh told me that they finished their mission yesterday. I guess I must have forgotten to put in a message to you. That'd be my bad." Wade sucked on the slurpster with nervous gusto.

_Oh honey, you'll need to do better then that when you find a girl. _Mrs. Possible almost shook her head sadly, at how poorly Wade tried to cover for them. _Although, given how Wade is... maybe that's a blessing in disguise._

"It seemed like yesterday's mission was uhh... more taxing than they realized, I'm sure they fell asleep by accident, and just forgot to give you a heads up. Kim will probably be contacting you any minute now." He chuckled before drinking more soda.

_Getting kinda flushed there Wade_ Anne thought to herself wryly. Well she knew well enough what it had been like as a teenager trying to sneak in some extra breakfast time.

She trusted the daughter she had raised well enough, and even trusted Ron. All she had to do now was think of how she would tease Kim subtly about her boyfriend and her family, and make sure James wasn't too overprotective. He had his heart in the right place, just had a bit of trouble letting go.

_More so now that they're going to be leaving for college next year._

"Well, when you get through to them remind them not to have too much fun." she told Wade casually.

"Yes Mrs.-Hey!" Wade's eyes bugged out whipping around to see the teasing smile of Mrs. Possible.

"Take care, Wade." She waved before shutting off the video feed.

Her pager began to ring, _looks like it's back to the operating table_.

* * *

**Stoppable Residence**

Ron Stoppable had a smile like this once, he had topped Felixs' high score in Zombie Mayhem 2 at the arcade to become the all time high scorer. (The fact that Felix had topped that again a couple of days later was ignored.)

After a badical morning like that he had worked up a healthy appetite. Rufus of course had sensed the smell of food like black holes and light. He all but sleep-crawled his way to the table where he was served up a stack of pancakes, and a large omlette with everything in it.

"Mornin' Rufus"

"**Mo'rning *hnk***_"_

"These plates are Kim's okay you can snack off mine if you want." He said seriously holding a skillet once he finished laying out the rest of the dinner table.

Rufus made a little salute, nodding and dug back in as if to make up for the hours sleeping that weren't spent eating.

"Rufus, gonna check on Hana, try to save some for me buddy!" He left before Rufus could respond, not that Rufus was going to be doing any talking soon.

Kim stepped into the shower carefully after locking the door while she turned on the hot water.

_Definitely needed a shower after that little romp. _She thought to herself, glad that Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable weren't home or she'd never have been able to look at either of them._  
_

As she poured shampoo and began to wash she wondered if someday every morning would be like this. They were going to college together one way or another. Perhaps they might be separate campuses within range of each other, or maybe Ron would manage to get into one of her colleges. For a moment all the prospective futures and options threatened to drown her good mood, but she closed her eyes and dunked her head under the shower head. The sensation of heat relaxing her muscles, washing away tension was most def' therapeutic. She imagined her worries draining away with the water.

The steam and heat of the bath reminded her of another more recent heat.

_That was definitely a new experience for them_ she thought eyes still closed concentrating on the feeling of the water sliding down her form.

Somehow, in the middle of all the tickling, and play fighting, the heaving of bodies, and the short breaths, their laughter had died down. Realizing, perhaps too late, just how close they suddenly were. Hyper aware of her own senses, everything more vibrantly alive to her like when she was freak fighting, or jumping out of a plane to free fall.

Ron had pulled her down even as she crashed on top of him, and then there was a delicious thrill of desire shooting through her, teeth, hands- Kim gasped again back in the shower.

_Argh... hormones, bane of teenage couples everywhere. As fun as that was, _she touched a finger to her lower lip that was swelling, _it was definitely dangerous. _

_ Good thing we both kinda called off the kissing what with morning breath, ugh. Still, it was a rare thing when we weren't interrupted by a mission, or school, or something else. Wonder when we'll get another-_

She shook herself again, scrubbed down before exiting to towel herself off. She spent another half an hour brushing her teeth, before air drying/combing her hair, finally throwing on some clothes as she went down to see what Ron had cooked up. Turning the corner she put her hands on her hips and smiled at the sight.

"Rufus did you eat everything again?" Mock sternly at the unrepentant mole rat who might have been mistaken for a pink piece of fruit swollen as he was.

"**a'ww** **s'rry**"

"Where's Ron?"

Rufus chattered for a bit and she made out that he had gone to see Hana.

_Guess I could surprise him. _She thought climbing the stairs up to Rons' old room. _As much as he complained about losing his old room, I'm glad he turned around about Hana. And I think showing him how much more privacy the attic affords compared to a room on the upper floor, or the tree house helped soothe the pain a little at least. _

She hadn't minded much, but Ron apparently almost lost his lunch when the clubhouse swayed a little when they spent a whole afternoon up there. She paused at the door listening as Ron seemed to be talking to Hana. Unable to help herself she pushed the door quietly enough for a crack to hear.

"Kim-"

For a moment Kim bristled. _He'd better not be telling Hana about our morning. _She leaned down again to listen more closely.

"-and while being together-together is mondo-awesome, I just kinda worry when we have moments like this. Ya know?" he spoke softly elbows leaning on the crib his back turned to her, to look down on his sister.

"I mean it's all so great, that it makes it harder to hurt her. I mean that's the last thing I want, but hey I learned from you. You gotta let them make their own mistakes, just be willing to step in with lesson before they get too badly hurt." an odd inflection in his voice to Kim listening in.

_Great another weird thing going on with Ron. And he was talking about me earlier, why would Ron try to hurt me? _The good mood she had going up deserted her and she pushed her plate of pancakes over to Rufus. Who made a herculean effort to roll his body over to a new food source. She poured herself a cup of orange juice, before sitting down at the table again to pick at the omelet Ron had prepared for her.

_The one universal piece of dating advice mom and dad gave me was to be open and honest. I figured being best friends forever made that a moot point. Guess we're both being careful about things we keep to ourselves. It's scary to consider us not being together now, but if it ever happens it'll be because Ron, or I didn't bring up our problems. Ironic, that I used to imagine a Ron a little less inclined to complain about his problems, and now..._

_

* * *

_Ron was whistling as he made his way down having fed Hana, before tucking her back in.

"Hey KP, did you enjoy breakfast?" he walked over to where she sat hugging her shoulders from behind, making sure not to upset any of her food.

He felt her stiffen before she gently reached up to his hand and drew him down so he was sitting next to her. She seemed to study him for a minute searching his face. Then apparently thought better of it, whereupon she moved both of them to the living room couch.

Sensing something was wrong Ron turned to her.

"Looking for another tickle fight, Kim?" He waggled his eyebrows exaggeratedly, fingers wiggling. She was somber when she shook her head reaching out to his hands grasping them in her own.

"Ron, I heard you just now with Hana. I was outside the room listening. You were talking about me, and how you didn't want to hurt me. I want you to tell me about that."

He froze for a moment not wanting to understand that she had heard.

"_Please_, Ron." She held his hands firmly in hers, their knees touching. She never had to wait long, Ron would always talk to her.

"Kim do you know how sometimes I act like a-

"Goof? Spaz?" teased the redhead lightly.

"I was going to say carefree, happy-go-lucky sidekick, but the point is I may not exactly be a brainiac like you or your family, that doesn't mean I don't have mad pattern recognition skills." He said with a half smile. (I mean just look at all the video games)

"No need to sell yourself short Ron, those were some hefty school words you used there." Kim said with a soft nudge.

"Kim, if I had your smarts don't you think I'd be in less trouble with the rents during report card time? Point is after all these years of watching you go on missions there's one truth anyone can see by now. You can handle pretty much anything life throws at you. I can let go, and hang back most of the time because, you're... well. _You. _What's there for me to worry about?" The laid back words at odds with his tense grip on her.

"Well, there's always the chance you could be wearing those boxers with the hole in the back." Kim said airily to buy time, trying to get both of them to relax.

"Point is KP, I trust you. Absolutely. I might help out on occasion, but you're the one who always comes through to save the day. If you _did_ need a boost now and then, it wouldn't have mattered who was there to give it you. You would have found a way all on your own. Because _that's_ what Kimberly Anne Possible is all about. You're the hero, Kim. Always have been, always will be." He quieted down after that.

She looked at him, struggling with her response. It was the way he was looking at her now without actually _seeing_ her that made her start up.

"Ron. _You_. First of all... I mean, I'm flattered you think that way, but... You can't just... **Arrrghhh!"** She took a breath trying to restore her sense of calm to match his own. Focusing on her own beliefs. The truths she understood instinctively, but perhaps had never bothered to properly voice.

"I do a lot of good for people," she acknowledged, "but I do it because it isn't just me, because I couldn't do it alone, even if it took me a little time to acknowledge that. If what I did in the past made you think that, then Ron... I'm sorry." She ignored his look of disbelief. "I'll apologize for that, but I want an apology out of you in return. I am who I am, because in part, of who you are. Where I am right now" -she broke contact long enough to wave around her, before grasping his hands again, "is where you are, we were in this together when it began, supporting each other. Before _Wade,_ before _Rufus,_ before _Team_ _Possible_ it was **you** and **me**_**.**_ I _want_. Ron, I **need** you to understand this. You said you trust me. Well, perhaps I don't say it very often, but I'd _hoped_ you already understood I trust you Ron, because I need you. Nothing more. Nothing less. You'd better not bring up "pattern-recognition" skills again, because I know I said very clearly that night: "**I couldn't save the world without you.**" and other words to that effect before. Or did you think I was _lying_ to you then?"

Kims voice had rose struggling to contain her anger, before it had gotten downright frigid at the end. It was a level of furious that he had heard, but rarely before that moment with Shego at the tower. The memories of that night, the beginning of everything they had now caused him to close his eyes, and he had no choice but to unburden one more thing he had been keeping to himself when he opened them to look at her.

"Kim, you remember how I tried to use the battle suit to become quarterback?" He asked ignoring her last question.

"Yah, definitely not one of your better ideas, _star_ _running_ _back."_ She added sharply.

"I get that now. But before then, Kim you had to understand. I was new to this-" he pointed to himself and her a couple times, "I mean as much as I like to pretend I know about girls, and being popular with the ladies well, you'd probably know the truth better than anyone." He said with a hollow laugh. "I spent a lot of time thinking about what it_ meant_ to be your boyfriend, and how I could _keep_ being your boyfriend those couple weeks after prom."

_Thank you, Bonnie Rockwaller._

"Oh Ron, I've told you before, all I want is my best friend to be my boyfriend. If you're honest with me then I'll want you no matter what you do." She explained with a touch of impatience at Ron's bout of insecurity. She thought they had settled this before.

_Have I been a bad girlfriend somehow? _She struggled to mask her hesitation at this thought.

"I might be royally tweaked, but that doesn't mean I'll dump you unless you start to change into someone that I wouldn't have been best friends with."

She noticed him wince at this, and wondered what he could have been reacting to.

_Is it the idea that I'll dump him? I mean the idea doesn't make me feel great either...  
_

"Well that's the thing KP, I uh... studied who you liked. I mean you told me, one way or another when I was around you. Walter Nelson, Josh, Hirotaka, Bobby Johnson, and ***shudder*** Eric."

"Ron, you're not going to-" He held up a palm to stop her. "Let me finish KP, I promise I'm not making a dig at you or anything."

"I mean for 13 years we were best friends right?"

"Yes, we were Ron." She said wondering how he could even be asking her this question.

"So, I mean, I can tell you like me enough as a best friend, even with the way I am, to be best friends. I just wasn't sure that meant enough when it came to _being your_ boyfriend." She watched the pain in his eyes at this admission. _Ron..._

"Walter, Josh, Hirotaka, even Eric to some degree. They were all cool guys, handsome, and slightly stand-offish right? Or at least it seemed to me like they "played it cool." Eric was different but he was a synthodrone programmed to get close to you, so I kinda figured that one was an exception."

Kim was trying not to feel hurt at what she felt was Ron digging up her past. Was he going to try to explain his occasional selfishness as revenge? Payback, as it were for picking others first?

_Never mind, that it was somewhat hypocritical of him, when he had Yori, Zita, and even Tara or Bonnie to a degree. I mean Bonnie! _

She waited however, to give him a little more time to explain himself. If he had been deliberately cold to her, because of what was he felt was a past betrayal. She'd... well she wasn't sure how she'd react.

Ron continued hesitantly. "They were nice dudes, but they weren't me (looks aside). They didn't cheer you on, or have your back, or other things like that... and they never needed to, because well, you like-liked them from the start.

I tried the "bad boy Ron" scene, and the "_Le Goop Rondo,"_ and we both know how that worked out. You told me to be myself, and at the same time you obviously never seriously considered _us_ as a possibility until recently. That's not something I'm holding against you KP." He said quickly to ward off the angry glare she was developing at what he seemed to be implying.

"Kim I know you're grateful for having me as a side-" emerald glare, "partner, and a best friend, but I would never want you to be my girlfriend out of obligation." He took a pause here building himself up to continue.

"So maybe, maybe... I might have been playing up my essential _Ronness_ a little more than I usually do. I couldn't be a bad boyfriend the whole time, but there were times when I knew you would be royally tweaked by what I did, and I... still let it happen." He said with evident guilt in his voice.

"I mean, did you honestly think I couldn't tell you apart from Camille _Léon though_? _**Camille**_ _**Léon**__,_ _Kim?_ KP, after all you've seen me memorize, with all my other "hobbies" you think I couldn't tell you apart by your eyes alone? After 14 years of constant contact?" Kim felt her mouth widen in surprise, shocked as she watched her boyfriend wind down from his rant that seemed to have erupted out of nowhere.

"Give me a _little_ credit here KP, I might be obtuse about a lot of things, but like I said "I know my girl." More importantly, I know you, Kim! Best friends remember?" He closed his eyes again, suddenly tired like the anger had fizzled out along with any desire to keep talking.

Kim tried to interrupt, but Ron ran right over her, desperate now, to get what had been a recurring concern from time to time off his chest.

"I don't want to say I was testing you, but I had to know for sure that you actually wanted me as a boyfriend, and not just as a best friend you can be with because it's comfortable. So yah, perhaps it was _wrong_ for me to do that. I didn't feel good knowing I was being a jerk, but if that meant you woke up and realized whether you wanted_ this_-" he made the motion of them again, "for sure... I-I'd do it again."

"Because... because you should... you deserve better than that, and if we're-I'm being painfully honest here, you deserve better than me. I mean my name is Stoppable! _For crying out loud_, it's right there in the name! I know you're here for me, always have been, but I am and will always have your back first." It was broken, and not a little confusing, but it was how he felt.

He couldn't even look at her now. He knew instinctively that Kim would protest that. She was his best friend after all. It was the other thing he wasn't 100% sure of.

"The only real chinks in the can-do-anything Possible armor I've found are giant insects, cooking without supervision (he tried to smile at her), peer pressure... and dating." He sucked in a breath as the confession caused his voice to hitch. "Having Hana here, taking care of her made me realize that. If I cared about you, the way I did her, I had to think of your best interests, put them above mine. I'm sorry if I hurt you Kim."

_It's surprising. How even now, the thought of Hana, sleeping safely upstairs gives me some comfort. She isn't helpless, not by a long-shot, but she still counts on me to look out for her. Even Rufus watches out for me more than I do for him sometimes. How could I afford to do any less for Kim?_

Kim had slowly lowered her head over time as Ron continued to give his explanation, and when he had finished looking down at his clenched fists in hers, he noticed almost idly that she had slackened her grip considerably from when he began.

_Alright, you knew this would be hard. It might mean the end of everything you've ever dreamed about, but you have to know, for Kim's sake and maybe mine as well- just whether what we have, is-_could_ be real._

He took another deep breath, and focused on the hair covering Kims' face. This was hardly the time for a flashback, but he still got a high-light reel of the last couple months. Of _them_. _Together_. It seemed depressingly short, and yet he could feel other memories from their time as best friends trying to make their way in.

_Glad I got those pleasant memories to tide me over. Kim's so mad now she'll probably never want to speak to me again for... weeks. Oh man! Weeks without seeing her at all? Sick and wrong, _no_ wrongsick to the nth degree! What if... what if she doesn't want to talk for months? Months!- _Ron was close to gibbering and was about to try to take it all back, noble intentions or not when Kim finally raised her head.

_Haven't gotten the anti-PDP in awhile. _He thought sweating suddenly.

If the Puppy Dog Pout was the essence of Kim Possible in all her cuteness, deftly woven together to create a veritable psychological weapon that commanded obedience to anyone who witnessed it, this... this was the anti-thesis of that. He suspected it wasn't something Anne Possible had passed down to her daughter, stressful as being a brain surgeon might be. If anything, he imagined Nana Possible would have worn a look like this in the battlefield when she was still in her prime. It was a look that screamed leadership, control, judgment, and raw power held together by an iron will. A look that was hard, and sharp, and powerful like a naked blade, and while it commanded obedience it could never be mistaken for "cute."

The effect it had on Ron was much like when she used the PDP. Perhaps harder to recognize, compared to the girl who grinned while she swung casually through the air, with assurances that she and the situations she faced were "no big."

Still it was undeniably Kim.

It was a reflection of the heroine in her.

It was because he could recognize her even like this, that he could continue to meet her eyes, and that look. Then she began to talk. Her voice was tight, perfectly controlled.

"Ron, I'm only going to say this _once_. So pay attention." The look continued to blaze commanding obedience.

Ron gave a jerky nod.

"Ron what is it I do on our missions?"

He was about to respond when she slashed the air in front of him, and he quickly snapped his mouth shut.

"I do things that usually belong in the line of agencies, professionals, people who trained to do the work on missions as their jobs. Adults with responsibility and accountability." she said perfectly evenly.

"I do it because I want to help Ron, but that doesn't mean I don't have my doubts every now and again about how much good I'm really doing. I've been blessed with a lot of things, worked hard for others, and I like to imagine I do my best to _deserve_ the gifts I have. Nobody is perfect Ron, not even me. We both know that." It was a startling declaration from Kim, and Ron opened his mouth to argue against it.

She slashed curtly before continuing. "Ron, do you know who watches the watchmen? My parents sure, teachers, Betty from GJ too, and Wade of course. But I don't bring them with me to missions. I bring you Ron. I watch myself."

"I make sure I _never. Ever. _ Become someone like Shego, someone who wouldn't want to help others." She took a brief pause to see if he was paying attention before continuing. "Using my talents to hurt people, to take advantages for myself. She and I are different, but we have some similarities as well, Shego used to be a teen heroine, she's gifted physically like me, we share some banter. But, if something went wrong, and I started down whatever path that led to Shego... well I won't." Ron could almost imagine he heard the echo of "_Or my name isn't Kimberly Anne Possible,"_ added on at the end.

"It's why I don't take rewards other than favors, it's why I won't sell products using my name. That's just who I am. But like I've said before _"I'm just your normal average girl." _ I make mistakes, so do you know what I use to check myself?"

"I use you, Ron." She saw Ron flush at the admission.

"Sometimes, when I'm freak fighting, and I feel that edge that tells me I could fight harder, faster, deadlier, keep innocent people from getting hurt for good. When I think about the sitches like with the little diablos when my family, _my_ _own_ _family,_ could have died, because Drakken decided to try something bigger, and I didn't put an end to him a long time ago. I think for a moment what that would do to me. What that would do to you. Whether we could still be friends, if I did something that _permanent_. Having you next to me, helps remind me sometimes where that line is. How I never want to cross it, no matter how I'm feeling at the moment. I'm going to echo your motto of knowing I can count on you to have my back. In _every_ way." There weren't unshed tears in their eyes, but they were definitely shining a little brighter now.

"Others might think I'm watching out for you all the time Ron, and while I do, they're wrong. _WE_ watch out for each other, it's how we work. It's _why_ we work. So God help me, if I hear you call yourself, or tell others you're my sidekick again. If that means one less trick in your distraction bag. _Tough_." Her mouth shutting with an audible click following that last word.

The grip of his hands in hers was getting painful. He ignored it.

"Okay Kim, I get it." he said looking her straight in the eye even as he held her hands a little tighter.

"Good. Now I need to call my parents-" she got up to leave after another squeeze.

"Kim uh..."

"?" She paused on her way to the table where the Kimmunicator was.

"If you have time left before you have to go home, Hana never did get to check out the cuddle buddies yesterday." He offered with a loose smile.

Kim seemed to consider this carefully, before she gave a small smile in return as she walked off. "I guess I could give you guys a ride down to the mall before I go, _partner."_

Ron paused for a moment, nodding before headed up to pack for Hana.

"es Mom, I was- speaker phone huh? Hello nurse-"

Ron carefully opened the door to his baby sisters room. Hana seemed to be just waking up. She rubbed her eyes yawning, fists balled adorably. He felt her kick a little as he lifted her up cradled against him.

_Thanks Hana._

She hugged his neck falling asleep again.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

This was probably the most "drama" I'll pull I think. Or the longest at any rate. One thing that's bothered me on and off is how Ron's characterization bounces throughout the series. I know he was played up for laughs and for his big moment in graduation. Even so it felt slightly off that Ron would be that callous to Kim. So I try to redeem him a bit. Kim grows a lot too over the seasons, and I think it's great that they end up causing each other to become better than they would have been alone. One of the things that I felt saw a bit of the "old" Ron from the early seasons in the last was Hana and her effect on him. So by bringing her and what she represents into his life earlier I wanted to address a maturing Ron even if it is a slower process.

There were a few risque sections in here and while I don't think it'll ever get too spicy, I'll adjust the ratings if at any point something like that ever does come up or readers feel its warranted.

Also anyone know what the generally accepted naming is for Ron's parents? I remember a gene, or jean for either the dad or mom, a robert, a barbara? Weird how James and Anne are generally "official" (at least within ff tags) but nothing for Ron's folks.

anyway it's a bit shorter and I'll probably go back over this and the 2nd chapter to rewrite parts of it. Part 1 had some minor changes for consistency, flow etc so take a look at that as well. Hope you enjoyed it.

* * *

**Preview:**

Ron's parents come back in time to leave again? (jk)

"So Stoppable, you thought you could sneak a baby into my class did you!" bellowed Steve Barkin.


	4. School Flowers: Yours for Today

**Days of Hana**

_**School Flowers**_

**by unwrittenaria**

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* * *

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disclaimer: none of the characters, names, etc belong to me. Rights owned by disney, etc.

* * *

Kim Possible Residence

"_Hola_! Clan Possible!" a boisterous voice rang out from the front door.

_I could set my stove timer by that greeting. _Thought Mrs. Possible idly serving up pancakes.

"Good morning, Ronald." She gestured for him to sit as she began setting two plates (Ron _and_ Rufus showed up for the last 10 or so years) of pancakes sprinkling the brown cakes with syrup and a chunk of butter.

Dr. James Possible took a moment from his paper to greet Ron. "It's good to see you Ronald."

"Mornin' Mr. Mrs. Dr. P!" Ron waved.

"Monday morning pancakes, badical Mrs. Dr. P!" Ron managed to eke out between a mouthful of pancakes. Rufus chattered in what was probably agreement or appeasement.

She smiled at both of them.

"Kimmie should be down in a few minutes Ron." She shut off the stove before going to pour some orange juice and another cup of coffee for James.

"So _Ronald, _I hear Kimmie-cub ended up staying overnight at your place Saturday night." began Dr. Possible a hint of the ominous appearing when he folded up his paper to glance at the freckled teen.

"Um. OH! Yah-uh I can explain that. If you just give me a sec here... Heh- well the thing is we had that mission with Frugal Lucre and-" Ron barely stopped himself from choking on a bite of pancake as he tried to come up with an explanation that wouldn't get him rocketed into the farthest reaches of the universe.

"Morning Ron!" Chorused the twins instinctively sensing vulnerability

"Hey Jim, Tim."

"Rufus!" They cheered. Ron caught hurried whispering of '3G velocity', 'homing', 'new J300 experimental fuel', and of course 'rocket!' as the twins carried his bloated friend off to the living room.

He wasn't too worried, they loved Rufus and probably wouldn't put him in too much danger, and Rufus could take care of himself when it came to tweeb inventions. Plus, Rufus would get some extra cheese as payment and that meant the snacks in his pocket might actually last him until lunch.

"Boys! No experiments before school, you're going to be late!" yelled out Mrs. Possible arms crossed. There was a minor eruption and a small tremor in the house.

Ron could imagine he heard the weak "hoo-sha" from somewhere in the house.

"Tweebs firing rockets in the house again?" Kim sighed to herself coming down the stairs.

"JIM/TIM!" Mrs. Possible was angry now, the budgets of a rocket scientist and neurosurgeon wouldn't be enough if the twins kept this up forever.

"I think I'd better take this one, dear. Morning, Kimmie-cub." James placed a hand on Anne's shoulder to restrain her, before giving Kim a quick hug.

"Boys- your mother is mad and you'll want to deal with me instead of her." He said making his way out of the kitchen.

_I think I forgot to put that J300 fuel canister on the table last night instead of locking it in the garage-_

"Morning Mom." Kim gave her mother a quick hug.

"Kim, you really need to get up earlier than this. You're missing all of your mom's delicious pancakes!" Ron said in appreciation of said pancakes.

"Well I noticed you seemed to have saved me the trouble of eating anyway. Or is that not my empty plate I see?" Kim said with sarcasm at her plate and Ron obviously still chowing down.

"I'll have you know KP, I heroically rescued these pancakes from a pink demon itself! Despite grievous fingerly harm possibly befalling my person." He complained theatrically to an amused Mrs. Possible and a skeptical Kim.

"Kim I've got some more pancakes here if you want them." Mrs. Possible offered.

_Oh well, didn't feel like eating breakfast today anyway, or dinner last night for that matter..._

"Let's _Go. _We're going to be late if we don't head out _now_, pancake boy_."_ she said with a grin declining the offer.

Ron nodded and thanked Mrs. Possible for breakfast again before calling out for Rufus.

All three of them turned when they heard a screaming of miniature rocket engines coming their way.

"Tweebs." muttered Kim under her breath.

A bright red and white shape trailing fire and smoke hurtled through the air, with a barely visible pink pilot with tiny flying goggles gamely grappling with the controls.

Kim calmly walked over and swung her backpack over her shoulders before moving past the door. Once there she reached up casually, snatching the rocket out of the air before it could do any more property damage in the kitchen. Using her free hand she pulled Rufus out before reaching in to hit a switch with her fingernail causing the flames to cough, disappearing with a puff and a bang.

"**hnk Th'anks K'im-ki'm**" Rufus cheered hugging her cheek for a moment before leaping down onto the floor and returning to his masters pocket.

"Alright, KP! Saving the day before breakfast!" Ron made his way over to the door opening it for her.

"So not the drama, Ron. Now lets go." she replied with a wave to her mom, grabbing Ron spinning him around as he waved goodbye as well.

"Take care you two." Mrs. Dr. P watched them head down the street before closing the door with pride at her eldest daughter.

Then she looked at the rocket on the counter and headed in to give 3 boys a long talking to.

* * *

Middleton HS

Kim and Ron made it before the bell rang for their first class after dropping stuff off at their lockers picking up their textbooks.

They were running it close enough that there was little more than a quick "Hi." to Monique and Felix when they passed by them on their way to the classroom.

_Math should never be the first thing they try to cram into our minds in the morning. _ Ron declared to himself as he settled into a desk next to Kim right in front of the board.

_Problem with having such a go-getter of a girlfriend, sticking with her in all her AP classes. _Ron fought to stay awake as the teacher (for once not Mr. Barkin) droned on writing out advanced equations on the board.

_If I didn't have Kim tutoring me all the time I'd probably be flunking out of the courses. _He thought morosely trying once again in vain to copy all the equations and notes on his notebook. Hearing Rufus snore from time to time only to wake up and snack on his chips wasn't helping any either.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kim copying notes diligently occasionally tilting her head to the side as her hair shadowed the page.

_Now that's something you wouldn't have to force me to study. _Ron thought with a spaced out grin ignoring the class completely by now.

Noting the way the her face changed as she keyed into the class, eyes alert and focused, the sunlight hitting her hair just the right way so it shined. _ So pretty_...

Kim finally seemed to notice him, and although she grinned fondly for a second she quickly started to glare hinting with her eyes.

It was easy enough to read her thoughts.

"Eyes up front Mr. Stoppable, while I am sure my lesson isn't as interesting as Ms. Possible, I would still appreciate if you paid attention. If only so that Ms. Possible can too." came the grating voice of Mrs. Hendrickson.

Ron had the presence of mind after that to sit up straight and begin jotting down numbers again.

There was a familiar snide voice from the back. "Yah Kim, as much as you want to get lost in _ronnie-__poo's_ eyes, I'm sure you two will have _plenty_ of time to study each _other_ later."

Kim ignored most of the laughs that broke out amongst the class, the subject of her relationship with Ron and how far they had gotten was a popular subject according to Monique's rumor mill.

"Bonnie..." she gritted her teeth.

"Ms. Rockwaller, if you have time to be making jokes I'm sure you'll have already solved the example on the board. Why don't you come up here and show us how." said Mrs. Hendrickson.

"Hmph, fine." Bonnie strolled up to the blackboard and began to solve it.

"Some of us can handle a relationship, _and_ school." Bonnie taunted as she passed by both Ron and Kim on her way back.

Kim almost whirled around to give Bonnie a piece of her mind, but stopped herself from making a scene. Knowing her, it would only satisfy Bonnie to know it had gotten underneath her skin and she most def did not want to start the day off angry because of B.

Ron gave her a sheepish smile in apology before studiously concentrating on his notes in an effort not to cause her any more trouble.

Kim let herself stew in irritation for another minute before letting it go.

_At least I know he stares at me and not someone else. _She thought with a tiny bit of satisfaction. It went a bit to restoring her ego after the laughing and the snark.

The rest of the class was largely uneventful and when the bell rang both of them headed out with the crowd of students entering the hallway. She didn't catch Bonnie which she was grateful for, and quickly made her way to her locker with Ron close behind.

Second period was AP English and everything was normal until half an hour was left.

Most of the students looked up as the P.A. System blared to life.

_**"Ran Steppable, uh Ron Stoppable, please go to the student office. I repeat Ron Steppable please head to the student office immediately." **_

_What would they be calling Ron for? Not another mystery meat ghost sighting I hope. _

She looked over to the tow headed boy who was engrossed in whatever he was writing for their creative writing assignment. As much as she hated to break him out of a productive session (which happened all too rarely she lamented) he'd probably need to go soon.

"Ron."

"Ron..."

"What KP? Is it time up already? I got like half a paragraph left! Tell Barkin to hold on."

"STOPPABLE! Report to the student office immediately! What're you waiting for?" bellowed Barkin.

"Yes, Sir!" he reflexively saluted causing some giggles.

"Err... where was I supposed to again KP?" he asked almost out the door.

"Student Office/STUDENT OFFICE!" came the dual commands.

Ron let out an 'Eep' and quickly bolted in the direction of the student council.

Barkin went back to teaching, while Kim tried to focus on her piece.

_Couldn't be a mission or Wade would have called us via Kimmunicator. Wonder who it was looking for Ron? _She chewed on the end of her pencil subconsciously.

* * *

Ron made his way to the student office easily with the halls deserted except for an occasional student since class was still in session. He tried to mentally go over whatever he could have done wrong to warrant a trip to the Student Office and in turn the Principals Office.

"Last time I got called in was for tipping over those library stacks trying to get Rufus down-" he talked to himself wondering what he had done this time.

He stopped in front of the door before entering. He reached in to his pants pocket nudging Rufus.

"Hey buddy, if I'm in hot water you are too. C'mon I need a little back up here."

Rufus was busy yawning, uncoiling himself from the comfortable position he napped in. He scurried up to his friends shoulder and sat there rubbing his eyes.

Satisfied, Ron pushed the door open anticipating anything but what he saw.

"Mom, Hana? What're you guys doing here?" he asked stupidly.

"Hi, Ron. I'm sorry dear, but it turns out your father had to work today and the company called in and they have an emergency I need to deal with until this afternoon. We couldn't call up a baby sitter in time and we're still working out a day care program. So I'm going to have to leave Hana with you just for today. I'll be back to taking care of her the rest of the week."

"Wait Mom, I've got class and stuff. I can't just cut and run. Did you remember to bring everything Hana needs? When did you even find out you needed to work today?" He said uncomprehendingly at the sudden request.

"Yes, dear I did." she said holding up the small carry-on bag of supplies Ron had developed as part of his program to take care of Hana when they took her out anywhere. "I found out this morning before breakfast."

"So why didn't you tell me before I left for school?"

"Well dear, there was still a chance I could have gotten a babysitter until just now, so this _is_ my way of telling you."

Ron decided banging his head against the office wall wouldn't benefit Hana, so he just moved over to relieve his mother of the bag of supplies and his little sister.

"Okay, Ron you take care of Hana now." She leaned down to kiss Hana on the cheek who beamed back at her. "I love you both and I should be back home before dinner to cook, I'll see both of you then."

Ron watched as she left before looking down at his baby sis. He could sense a sparkle of mischief in her eyes, and delight (if the smile was anything to go by) at having a new place to explore.

Ron suddenly felt like the Hana kit bag weighed a ton.

_Oh man, KP! Side-kick in trouble..._

Hana began to giggle.

* * *

Kim was beginning to get worried. Ron had disappeared for the rest of the class and she was forced to grab his assignment, (remembering to check and filling in his name at the top) before turning in both of their assignments to the tray on Barkins desk.

She grabbed Ron's bag and was about to head out to search for its owner when Barkin's voice stopped her.

"Possible, remind Stoppable that if he has an emergency he should still find time today to finish the assignment. I won't be grading them before 4 today." He said without glancing at her still sorting out the papers.

"... Understood, Mr. Barkin." Kim said a little cautiously. Either she was imagining things or Barkin had just cut Ron a break, and even if she felt Ron was melodramatic about the rivalry she knew there was a shred of truth in his accusations.

_My weird-radar is definitely pinging._

She made her way through the crowd to her locker confident that Ron would probably be there. Any academic woes that befell him would be repeated to her there, and she would do her best to console him.

There was a surprisingly large crowd in front of her locker. She couldn't quite spot what was at the center from this distance but she was amused to note that the crowd was mostly composed of girls.

_Must be a new transfer hottie or some new person on the food chain. Glad I've grown at least a bit since last year not to be another one of the mindless crushing sheep like with Hirotaka. _She thought with a wince at her behavior back then, and her rivalry with Monique had seemed like so the drama until Bonnie showed up at the end.

_I've got Ron now, and I'm perfectly happy with that not to be swayed by some new pretty face. _She thought a touch smugly. _Let's see who it is that's got the girls all riled up, and just maybe I'll actually get to my locker._

"Uh, Kim?"

She felt a tap on her shoulder, already recognizing Monique.

"Hey, Monique. Sorry about the brush off this morning but the tweebs were playing pranks again, and we almost didn't make it out of the house in time."

"Rockets again?" came a new voice a little lower and Kim saw Felix roll in behind Monique.

Tales of the tweebs and their experimental rockets had grown to near mythic proportions, especially once they had joined Middleton High as fast track students. Their science fair proposal was still considered taboo when conversing with Mr. Barkin.

"Hi, Felix." she said with a friendly wave. "Have you seen Ron around? He got called out during class and never re-appeared."

Felix and Monique shared an unsure grin. It looked like they were trying to decide who went first.

"Okay girl I want you to promise you not to freak okay?" Monique said seriously holding her shoulders.

"What do you mean Moni-"

"Ron's in that crowd of girls there." Felix said succinctly.

Sometimes there wasn't any way to deal with a mob of zombies than to just light the fuse, toss it into the crowd, and watch the explosions fly (preferably while you ran away to a safe distance).

(Okay, so it was also the most fun way but could you blame the guy?)

"WHAT?" shouted out a shocked Kim whipping her head around to stare at the large flock of girls surrounding what might be her boyfriend. Sudden flashes of Ron sporting a new hairstyle , or the truth ray popularity boom.

"Kim! Calm down." Monique said spinning her back to look her in the eyes. She took a moment to smack Felix in the back of the head, which got a good natured groan out of him.

"Ignore the doofus on wheels over here. Ron is in there, but I think he was just waiting for you." She looked over to Felix before lowering her voice a little whispering. "It seems like his SWROC is with him." she said intently.

"Ya know I'm super smart all things considered, and I still have trouble guessing Monique-speak." Felix complained listening in rubbing his head a little.

Kim was puzzling it out, gears turning when the gleam told Monique and Felix she had guessed. Her eyes widened a bit at the answer and she turned around breaking free of Moniques' grip. Soon she was charging into the crowd, practically shoving or elbowing the other girls aside.

Monique and Felix both watched the redhead send bits of the crowd flying off.

"I can see what you mean about having fun teasing them." said Felix.

_It's a shame that our football team couldn't get Kim as a linebacker, or a coach_. Felix mused to himself.

"Like that was teasing, what _I_ do is the fine art of teasing, you're just pissing her off."

"I doubt she's going to remember being mad at me, and I had to get a little back for her making Ron miss Zombiepalooza practice this Sunday." he said with a shrug of his shoulders and an infectious grin.

"Please, if I didn't work at Club Banana the only times I'd see Kim and Ron would be at Bueno Nacho and here at school." Monique retorted the grin spreading to her. "Felix Renton, are you actually _jealous_ of all the time Ron spends with Kim?"

"Hey, I'm as happy as the next guy my bud Ron is going out with his dream girl. I'm even glad for Kim, the way she tried to fit in with us was hilarious, but she calmed down a little after that one time. Then suddenly after prom it's like they're glued together. I'm not complaining, but I think a Sunday off isn't too much to ask for given how little I actually get to hang out with Ron."

"Somebody's _jea-lous."_ Monique sing-songed.

Felix rolled his eyes. "_If _I was anything, I'd be worried for Ron. I can't help but get a sneaking suspicion Kim is trying to get Ron to cut down on the video games. It's not like Ron has any defense against her when she- you know." He said torn between annoyance and amusement.

"Yes, I do know. If it's any consolation Felix, I think she's just planning ahead alot. Doesn't want any young Stoppable/Possibles to pick up their father's gaming addiction if she can help it."

Felix nodded his head at this before glancing up at Monique with suspicion. "Did you just say-?"

She put a hand on his shoulder, before moving behind him to push him closer to the crowd where Kim finally seemed to have worked her way through to Ron.

"Just a hunch baby boy, now let's go see Ron try to dig himself out of this one."

Felix leaned back wishing he had popcorn.

* * *

Ron was trapped on all sides.

He had been cornered before certainly, it was almost old hat to be surrounded. Faced dangers unimaginable since his time as a member of Kim's missions around the world. The exposure to the world had only ratcheted up the number of things he had discovered he was afraid of since his time at Wannaweep.

He had never imagined in a million years growing up that he would ever develop a phobia for girls (mostly very attractive teenage girls to boot) crowding around him.

_This is sick and wrong, I finally get to be a babe magnet and I'm afraid of that as well? Don't I deserve a break after all the good I've tried to do? _He thought nervously.

Ron knew instinctively that it wasn't so much the girls that scared him, as a _certain_ someone's reaction to said girls. He had tried very patiently, and finally a little hysterically to tell them that they were pushing up against him in their effort to get at -

"_**RON**_?"

Saved.

Okay, maybe not saved. But either way the torture of waiting would be over and done with now. No more praying to Yahweh.

He watched as a few of the eager faces focused on him shifted at the sound of the irate voice. Even if they hadn't recognized the tone (which they had), they would have probably recognized the voice. It was the voice after all, of nearly all the clubs in the school, and the cheer leading team, not to mention being heard from T.V. appearances and interviews.

A few of the more savy girls, (the cheerleaders in particular who had instantly recognized the voice and knew first-hand what that particular tone meant) started to disperse as quietly and quickly as they could manage without being noticed. It wouldn't do to draw attention to themselves now, or it could mean hellish practice drills later if they were determined guilty. Not that it would matter if they protested in this particular case, before they knew it practice would start with a strangely cold smile and 'upbeat' promises that '_it was for the good of the team_', and the even more scary '_you all **do** want to win nationals this year **don't** **you**_**?'**

Ron of course better than anyone could tell what was brewing and despite his frantic praying could see no salvation in sight.

God of course works in mysterious ways, and so he chose today to work his miracles through the form of a particular blond cheerleader.

Tara had been one of the closest to Ron at the center and she had turned around with bright eyes and bubbly joy at the sound of Kim's voice.

"Kim! You should have told us Ron had such an adorable baby sister. He used to be the Middleton Mad Dog, and now he's our running back. I would have- we could have sent him a card from the team with our congratulations." she said dimming a bit at the seemingly livid Kim Possible.

"Is something wrong Kim?" she asked hesitantly.

Faced with the wide eyed Tara who didn't have a hurtful bone in her body, Kim was forced to swallow her (she _could _admit to herself: irrational) anger and jealousy.

"It's nothing Tara" she gave a smile that thankfully seemed to set things right again, because Tara brightened up once more.

"I just thought the whole crowd around Ron was because something bad happened so I was worried." she twisted the truth slightly.

Tara nodded in understanding, before kneeling a little to face the source of all the commotion.

"But nothing's wrong here, is it Hana?" she said happily grasping Hana's waist tickling her a little.

Hana of course responded with another set of laughs that melted the hearts of everyone within the vicinity.

Kim did her best to ignore the chorus of 'awww's' at the little girl giggling to form a plan on getting Ron out of reach of all these _girls_.

_Amp down Possible, they're making eyes at Hana not the brother. Ron at least seems to be panicking like he should be. He's seen what Hana does to people, he should know better by now! _Even as the last thought registered she knew she was being immature about it.

Then she saw some of the girls were leaning across Ron's back looking over his shoulder to get a better glimpse of Hana. A few of them were jostling his arms and either the group was crowding too much, all of them trying to get a chance to play with the little girl, or they were rubbing up against her boyfriend.

Either way, she was done with this sitch.

She clapped her hands over her head loudly getting all their attention.

"K'm!" waved Hana excitedly noticing Kim for the first time in the sea of people.

Once again, Kim was forced to clap and whistle to get the crowd focused on her.

"Alright everyone class is about to start. Let's break it up and give Hana some space okay? There'll be time later to say hi to her I'm sure, but for now I really need to talk to my _boyfriend._" She gritted out.

The crowd reluctantly began to disperse most of them waving again at the precious toddler, who was always happy to reward with a happy smile and wave.

Tara was one of the last to go.

"Take care Hana." She said sadly not wanting to go. "Ron you have to bring her to cheer practice today! I could help you feed her at lunch if you want, I've done some babysitting and daycare work and Hana is such an absolute joy! No fussing or crying the whole time!"

Kim restrained herself from forcibly ejecting Tara from the premise doing her best to ignore the blond.

Ron and Hana waved goodbye to Tara as she left for class before they turned at the same time to face Kim.

Hana felt the bond with her brother open again and felt the echoes of his voice in her head distinctly say '_uh oh_.'

* * *

Monique was tempted to let this run its course. One look at Kim told her though that now was not the time to let her best friend hash this out. As much fun as it would be to watch.

Felix spoke up first. "Kim, hate to be a spoil sport but I think we're going to be late as it is. I don't have anything to worry about since I don't have anything next period. You two do though, if I remember correctly."

"Hate to admit it Kim, but we've got P.E. next and we really should get going if we're going to be changed in time." agreed Monique.

Kim was flustered at being stopped and wanted to ignore that, but the part of her that wouldn't stand for a tarnish mark on her attendance if she could help it forced her to give up.

"C'mon Ron, I'm guessing you have a pass from the office because of Hana right?" she snapped out a bit of her jealousy bleeding in as she lead the group towards the changing rooms.

"How'd you guess KP?"

"I asked Wade to check your parent's schedule, figured there wasn't any other explanation for why Hana would be here now."

"Woah KP, checking up on me now?" Ron asked slyly.

"N-no. I wanted to make sure nothing happened to your family. It's good that it was just a coincidence with work." She replied quickly.

"Suuure, Kim. We believe you." mocked Felix and Monique.

"Hey guys, nothing to be ashamed of. I trust Kim and she trusts me. It's all gravy!" Ron assured them knowing it wouldn't do any of them any good tweaking Kim much more.

"Hey Hana, say hi to my best bud, Felix Renton. Felix is a master second only to myself when it comes to the art of videogameage, and has a wicked set of flying wheels. You should consider getting one of those for yourself, or your sidekick when you grow up." he added as an afterthought.

"E'lix!" Hana said clearly testing out the new words like a toy.

Felix grinned looking at Hana then Ron. "Okay, I'm officially a fan."

Kim up front heard and muttered "Too bad you're not the only one..."

* * *

Gym class passed with increasing slowness for Kim Possible. She had the urge to just walk over to where Ron sat patiently in the bleachers observing and ask him about all those girls. She knew nothing had happened, and that most likely he had just been caught by the swarm once class ended while he was waiting for her by her locker. Still she'd like the reassurance.

Ron had passed the changing rooms once the group had arrived and went in ahead to the gym to give his pass to Barkin explaining why he had been absent.

Apparently for once, even Barkin was semi charmed by Hana who could do no wrong.

He was gruff but there was a definitely a teddy bear element to it now.

"Okay Stoppable, on account of you being in a line of duty you get a pass today. _But_, tomorrow I expect double the amount of laps and push ups to make up for today! Got it?" He growled softly at odds with wanting to scare Stoppable without scaring Hana.

"You got it Mr. B!" Ron tried to put on a brave face at all the extra work he'd be doing tomorrow.

"B!" Hana mimed doing a little gesture with her hand that Ron guessed was her way of saluting.

The destructive power of the smiling face with that clumsy pat to her head almost broke Barkin.

He shivered and then turned around carefully away from the Stoppable siblings.

"Stoppable, you should go over to the bleachers and sit for now out of the way. I think there's a toy ball somewhere in the back. I'll see if I can fetch it."

Ron blinked at this completely out of character development from the usual Barkin.

"Rufus, what just happened?"

"**h'nk d'unno**" replied Rufus with a little shrug of his shoulders. Soon Rufus was forced to play with Hana, and they began to dance Hana slightly lifting Rufus around in a circle.

When Kim came out it was with a growl at the sight of another developing crowd around Ron and the dancing pair of Rufus and Hana.

A few of the boys had resisted at first but were ultimately forced to endure it because of their girlfriends, or because they wanted to be near the girls.

Even the hardened bullies were forced to loosen up as they watched the little girl dance and sing her heart out. No wrong had ever befallen this girl, and they could see it by the way she never cried even when she fell down exploring.

She'd grin a little, stand back up on semi wobbly legs aided by Ron, and then off she'd go again playing with whatever caught her fancy. It was impossible not to get caught up in the joy they saw in her eyes. Everything new, everything something discovered for the first time with an innocent pleasure most of them would never find again having grown up. The occasional times when she noticed she had an audience she'd run over and hug a few legs, or wave and beam back at shy tentative smiles from boys and girls alike.

In a few more minutes Hana would unknowingly have been mobbed by the crowd of teenagers with hugs, in a desperate desire to tightly squeeze that bundle of happiness to themselves hoping that some of it would rub off.

Kim had seen enough and quickly looked for the authority figure she could count on to get the class started.

She was gobsmacked to see Mr. Barkin look every bit as anxious to give a bright red ball he had found and cleaned she assumed, for Hana.

_Okay Hana is cute and everything but this is ridiculous. _She grimaced at what she was about to do.

Without giving herself much time to think about it she reached over and took the whistle hanging from Mr. Barkins neck.

She inhaled loudly and blew as hard as she could. The shrill whistle was enough to get most of them back to their senses and turn around to see what was causing all the commotion.

Mr. Barkin had froze covering his ears turning down to look at Kim.

He almost shrank back at the accusation in the teens eyes. _Do your job! Don't make me do it for you._

He nodded warily embarrassed to have forgotten himself in those big warm eyes- he shook his head to clear it straightening up and assuming an at-attention pose.

"Here Stoppable, its the right size for an exercise ball for her." he tossed the bright red ball at Ron who caught it.

"ALRIGHT! THE REST OF YOU START RUNNING! I WANT TO SEE 20 LAPS BEFORE THIS CLASS IS OVER!" he bellowed to the groans of the students.

Kim figured he was overdoing it to compensate for the earlier show of weakness, but given that it was doing what she wanted him to do i.e. get people away from Hana and Ron she'd suck it up. After all a 20 lap run was no big for her with everything she did. It might even mean more time if she could get dismissed earlier to talk to Ron.

The side effect of course was people began dropping off around the 10-15 lap mark and were forced to sit down at the bleachers for a brief rest.

She twitched at what she felt was an uneven amount of girls going off for these periodic rests for far too long.

Still Barkin was more or less back to his old self and he never let the stragglers rest for too long.

She pushed herself pumping her feet harder. _Only two laps left to go._

* * *

Ron felt a little awkward after the end of gym class. He had tried to talk to Kim but she had told him to go eat lunch without her first. She wanted to talk to Monique for a bit, and then she had promised she would find him so they could have some lunch together.

He could tell by now that she was feeling a little out of sorts about all the attention he had been getting indirectly because of Hana. He was about to tell her again how nothing had happened when she put her hand over his mouth.

"I know Ron. I'm not really mad about that anymore."_ much_ did not need to be said out loud.

"I actually just want to talk Monique about some girl stuff okay?" She smiled to reassure him before taking a quick look around. Most of the people were still changing or in class, since she had changed in such a hurry.

She reached up and gave Ron a quick kiss before bending down to Hana who had fallen asleep after all the excitement and adventure in the gym. She kissed the girl on top of her head and patted her back softly. It was hard to stay mad seeing that peaceful sleeping face. Hana gripped the front of Ron's shirt a little tighter with her tiny hands and continued sleeping, breathing softly.

"I'll look for you in a bit Ron." she said walking off with Monique in tow.

"Dude, what was that about?" asked Felix stopping at his side.

"I honestly have no idea man." Ron replied watching his girlfriend walk off.

"So what're you going to do now?" Felix asked eyeing the sleeping bundle in his arms.

"Well Mr. B is really freaking me out now. He offered to let me eat in the classroom or the staff office if I needed a place to feed Hana. Chances are though we'll get mobbed there." He glanced in thought at Felix's wheelchair.

"Hey Felix, could I ask a favor?"

"Sure what?"

"Mind taking me and my girl here up for a ride to the roof?" he motioned up with his hands.

"Sure that's a good idea Ron-man?" Felix grinned knowing his answer.

"It's not, but its better than having Kim tweaked at all the people trying to get a piece of me because of Hana." he answered with a shrug.

* * *

Monique and Kim sat outside the school away from prying ears, across from each other during the lunch period usually spent in the cafeteria.

"So any more news on the Ron weirdness?"

"Hmm, no I got Mom and Wade to run scans and they didn't find anything out of the ordinary. I've got a couple more leads to follow up on though." _Sensei for one. _

"So what's with bringing Hana to school?"

"Oh, Ron says she was dropped off earlier at the office by his mom when that P.A. announcement for him came on. I think they still haven't found a proper daycare center for Hana, and neither of Ron's parents can stay at home today. Mrs. Stoppable will be taking over for the rest of the week though."

"Ah, so do you want to tell me what's bothering you now?" Probing gently.

"Huh-? What's that supposed to mean?"

She winced at the look on Monique's face that said _please._

"You called me yesterday and as much talking as we did you ran on autopilot girl. And you babbled the way you only do when a certain BFBF does something that worries you."

She blew a stray lock of hair covering her eyes. "Can't get anything past you can I?" she sighed.

"Yes, you should have recognized my superiority a long time ago Kim." She stood up with a grand gesture holding one hand with her pinky extended towards Kim while she tilted her nose up.

"Your _majesty_," Kim intoned with sarcasm reaching out to the proffered hand as if it to kiss it, before jerking it so Monique stumbled forward.

"It appears your _Royal_ _Highness_ couldn't see the ground, her _nose_ was in the way, might I suggest consulting Lady Rockwaller for advice on how to avoid that?"

"Kim!" Monique was shocked.

They both laughed.

Once they settled down Monique watched Kim stretch out her legs balancing on the bench.

"So Kim, wanna talk to the royal BFF, I listen to all my _humble_ subjects." She said with a toothy grin.

"Fine, your highness, its- about Ron." She admitted.

"like that wasn't obvious"

Kim gave a frown.

"fine, fine no more mocking, IPNC"

"I promise, now continue?" Kim guessed.

"Yes!" she made a shooing motion for her to continue.

"Well yesterday we were at Ron's house. His parents weren't there and I kinda woke up sleeping on top of Ron." she admitted with a light pinking.

"*Gasp- Kim that is a MM in your relationship. Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" Monique's shoulders shook a little. "Wait, did something from our after school special ed videos happen?"

"MONIQUE! Nothi-no. Nothing happened it was just us accidentally falling asleep together. Well actually-" she blushed again at the tickling and what that led to.

_Okay so as innocent as it was some things are definitely TMI for a gossipy best friend._

"Hey, no thinking. Spill! You're not going to hold back on me with this are you? C'mon Kim." Monique pleaded seeing the hesitation.

"Reel in the drool, Mon. All I'm going to say is we might have kissed a little. That's it." she already didn't feel like talking more about it.

"Guess I'll have to go ask Ron." she said evily.

"MON-ique!" yelled a flustered Kim.

"What? You going to drag him away now Kim? Don't trust Ron even around little ol' me?" she teased.

Something flashed in Kim's face for a second before it turned back to the tweaked look it had before.

"No Monique, but- but if I did want Ron I don't think I'd have any problems dragging him away." she said a little more confidently now.

_I see, whatever it was they did it tickled her pink. A little toe curling maybe? _Monique had no idea how close she was, in one sense.

"Anyway that wasn't the problem, it was after. We had a talk after I overheard him talking to Hana."

"Kim, for shame, you were eavesdropping on the sacred conversations of siblings?" Monique crossed her arms haughtily tilting her nose up at Kim with feigned disdain.

"Yah, I know, not one of my prouder moments but I heard my name! I was going to surprise him."

"Surprise him, _how?_" she asked with an infuriatingly cheeky grin.

"Monique! Hana was right there, it wouldn't have been anything _heavy._ Maybe a hug or something." she said with disbelief.

_So you have thought about the heavier things. Although that's not a surprise really with healthy high-school couples. Or not couples at all. It might be more surprising for senior high-school couples not to have gotten past more of the innocent dating stages like these two. _

"Okay so aside from revoking your hero card for spying, what'd you hear that prompts a _talk._" she asked truly curious now.

Here Kim quieted down trying to phrase that difficult talk into something that would make sense, without baring the more personal words that were exchanged.

",andthathewassayinghewasn''sbeenmybestfriendsincewe'refiveandhe'

',andIknowIwasn'tbecauseIdowantRon,ImeanIwouldn''mabadgirlfriendandthat'swhyRonthinksIwouldn'?"

"Kim, I've got an advanced degree in girl speak and even_ I_ didn't catch any of that. You need to slow down. Bullet points, please and thank you as you like to say." she said slowly her eyes almost crossing at the speed with which Kim talked pacing back and forth animatedly.

"Sorry, Ron was worried I didn't actually want him as my boyfriend. That I'd mistaken us dating because we were best friends. So he... uh, acted even more Ronnish than usual at times to uh... get me to wake up." she finished nervously.

"And what did you tell him in response?" she asked evenly, eyes cool.

"Well I got angry at first, he kept saying he was my side-kick and how I didn't really need him. Then he brought up some of my old crushes and it felt like he was judging me, even though I know he... wasn't really. So when he mentioned acting like a jerk to get me to realize I might not really want him to be my boyfriend I kinda snapped." she said softly, worry colouring her words.

She looked at Monique with a hint of desperation. "Was I a bad girlfriend somehow? Is this...my fault he's worried?" she looked down again even as she balled her fists tightly.

Sensing that she might need comfort Monique reached out to take Kims hands. "Kim" she said gently.

"I can't tell you how you feel about Ron. I can only tell you what I've seen since that night you danced at prom together. That you two are happiest with each other. You support each other, you guys joke around and talk to each other all the time, early on you guys were so sweet together I almost felt my teeth rot out watching you two. You guys are pretty much the model couple of the school."

"We-we weren't that bad, were we?" Kim decided to ignore the wide grin on her friends face.

"Those things are qualities you can find in most couples though. There is one thing that sets you two apart."

"You and Ron have an understanding of each other that I've never seen in anyone else. 13 years of friendship goes a long way to smoothing out the bumps in a relationship Kim. You can trust Ron because you know who he is and vice versa. That's not something you can find so easily with anyone else."

_Believe me._

She watched as Kim listened before nodding slowly processing what she had told her.

"Kim I want to ask you a few questions. You can just nod or shake your head."

She nodded again.

"Does Ron make you happy?"

She nodded with a smile.

"Does he annoy you?"

She nodded with a frown and Monique watched even as it transformed into a smaller exasperated smile at the end.

_She has it sooo bad._

"If Ron forgot he was your boyfriend would you ask him out?"

She was halfway through nodding her head when she realized blushing what she had admitted to.

"Kim for all intents and purposes you want him. There might be all kinds of reasons, factors, but at the end of the day you want to be with Ron right?" she pushed.

Another shaky nod.

"Then that's all there is to it. You guys aren't getting married tomorrow are you?" She couldn't help kid.

"Moniqueee!" Kim whined.

"Fine, but the point is that's why you guys are dating. You care about each other and you want to see where it leads. If you do have any plans to get married I'd appreciate if you wear a Monique original when you do. Give me a call, I'll do it for free. It'd be a great way to kick start my fashion career" she said with a nudge.

"So much for coming to you for advice, you just wanted an excuse to tease me" Kim complained with a huff.

"I tease because I care, unlike a certain cheerleader or green henchwoman. Kim I'll admit I'm actually a little jealous of you and Ron. Sometimes i find myself wanting what you two have. I could see Ron be quite the catch someday with a little training. So if you ever do drop Ron..." she let the warning linger.

Kim looked outraged for a brief moment before turning placid. "Well Monique, if anything does ever happen to me I guess I could trust you with Ron. I wouldn't count on it happening anytime soon though." she said radiating her usual can-do-anything confidence.

"Good, now go tell your _boyfriend_ that." Monique said seriously pushing Kim to stand up.

Kim bobbed her head gratefully realizing what she had done. "Thanks, Mon. How'd you get so good at analyzing us?"

"Practising since I don't have anyone of my own yet. It's entertaining and good for sharpening instincts."

Kim gave a tight smile before turning around completely to face her.

"You'll find someone Monique, you rock way too much not too." she was completely serious.

"Thanks Kim, now go!" she laughed with a wave.

_Wonder if I'll find a Ron of my own._

She hadn't thought much of Ron at first. They shared some common interests. He was fun and surprisingly easy to be around. He had good qualities. He also had a lot of flaws. If she had to sit and think of every phobia he'd described she'd be held back a year. And she was never going to be his lab partner again. Putting all that aside it was hard to dismiss the loyalty and friendship he had with Kim.

He was the star running back now, and she'd even caught herself checking him out a few times in mission gear. He wasn't ever going to be a buff hottie, but he was coming along. She'd also seen hints of someone you could depend on in the future watching him when he was with Rufus and Hana. He'd be a good man.

And Lord could he cook.

He would be everything Kim could want or need if he just matured a little more.

She sat there for a moment longer enjoying the outside air. Then she slapped her knees. There was no reason to get mopey about it. She'd hardly needed Kim to tell her that she'd find someone, even if it still left a hint of a grin tugging at her lips.

* * *

Kim started off passing the rows of lockers, if she remembered correctly Ron had mentioned feeding Hana in one of the classrooms. It seemed Hana had finally become a bit tired of being shown off during breaks between classes and Mr. Barkin had offered surprisingly to let them eat in the classroom as long as there were no messes to clean up.

She passed by a few of the people she knew waving briefly before pushing ahead half an eye on the look out for the crowd of girls.

* * *

Bonnie Rockwaller was hatching a plan.

_Hmph, ever since they've been going out Kim's been such an insufferable, perfect goody two shoes. It's like somehow going out with that loser boyfriend of hers made her even more invincible. _

_Well I'll show her that she can't have everything for herself. _

_Just because you're team captain and miss popularity doesn't mean you're better than _me_ Possible. It's about time you learned that._ She thought furiously.

_Argh, but it's so annoying now that she's dating Stoppable. Calling him a loser hardly even bothers either of them anymore, and when she does notice she just pushes training harder and I suffer worse._

_So frikken self assured now that she's got her 'ronnie-poo' I'll bet that's what she calls him. They're probably all gooey and oh-so-in-love with each other. Bet miss perfect isn't so innocent now though. All those missions they go on, more like eugh make out missions or whatever. Calling her nerd friend to get her out of class with her boyfriend so they can coo all over each other. _

A nagging part of her argued that Kim, the Kim Possible that was her hated rival would never be that kind of girl. She didn't have it in her to be like that, as much of a holier-than-thou girl as she was. Still it felt good to tear down the Kim of her mind just a little bit when she knew she couldn't get away with it in public.

_I might not be able to attack Kim directly, but Ron's the loser, even if he's trying to fake it with the sports, and whatever he's always been drooling after Kim. No one else would have ignored all the girls who came snooping around after they found he was running back. Sure he's not food chain material but his status alone meant he had to have gotten some free offers. _

_Or maybe he's just afraid of Possible with her freaky 'sixteen forms of kung-fu' finding out. Ha! I bet that's why he's so whipped, knows his girlfriend could totally beat him up if he ever dared stepping out of line. _

She firmly and carefully kept from remembering the particularly humiliating memory of offering to let Stoppable take her out for some food since the star of the football team was honor bound to treat cheerleaders, especially ones at the top like herself as part of the food chain system. She had expected him to swell up with pride like before when he was rich, but this time...he laughed. Then while he was wiping away tears from his eyes he had apologized, before waving to Kim and taking her arm in hand to head out the building.

She was just lucky no one else had caught such an embarrassing scene. She'd understood that Ron was an outcast before, but now when he had a chance of genuine popularity, to be accepted by her, he'd casually waved it off like it didn't mean anything to him. Like she- like everything she had fought for didn't mean anything.

She'd gotten more steamed thinking about it until she was positively spitting venom at whoever brushed by her by accident.

It was hard for Bonnie to determine exactly what it was about Kim Possible that wronged her so much. Possibly it was that she and Kim could have been friends. Great friends even as she considered upon meeting the young Kim back in middle school. The braces were a no go so constant companionship wasn't much of an option.

She recognized grudgingly that the peaches and cream complexion, and vibrant red hair meant Kim would be quite attractive later on. She had of course seen Mrs. Possible and figured the fruit wouldn't fall too far from the tree. Probably cheer leader material. So if she was going to be cheer captain like she'd envisioned, she'd have to start cultivating relationships with the future seeds of her team.

It _had_ bugged her that Kim had hung out with that dweeb Ron so much. Talk about a social don't. Still she felt like it was a good sign of their tentative friend-partnership, she wanted people she could count on in her inner circle. Tara was already one such friend. They didn't always agree, but the bubbly blond was willing to follow Bonnie when she asked her to.

She sensed however that Kim wasn't such a pushover, and she was secretly glad. A light rivalry to keep her on her toes, something of an equal would mean she'd have someone she could be truly friends with. Nice as Tara was she wasn't as devious, didn't spend time thinking as much. She was nice and pretty enough that she didn't have to scheme really, people would fall over to help her. Bonnie played her role as a guardian weeding out the people who'd take advantage of her which she felt paid for using Tara herself.

Kim, however was a thinker she could tell, and perhaps would be a better confidant. A reliable, trusted confidante, yes. It looked so promising then when she had considered her future with Tar and K as her right and left hands where she would be the undeniable queen of the school court.

So when she'd stuck by Ron, even criticizing HER for being a good friend and telling Kim to wise up and ditch the loser she'd almost exploded, before realizing these were the traits she'd want later.

To a degree.

Calling her mean and not to say things like that to Ron like he was _worthy_ of _respect_. She'd started to doubt Kim's intelligence if she'd stayed with the moron who spent all his time in class asking stupid questions, and playing with his disgusting pink rat thing. He didn't even have the decency to be doing sports, that at least would have gone some ways to making him halfway acceptable. If he had had the grace to join the chess club she was positive she could have opened Kim's eyes to his hopeless loser status.

But no, no sports, not much in terms of fashion or looks, all he seemed to have was that he was always around Kim, riding her coattails on those missions or whatever. She'd seen it before and she wanted to make sure Kim wouldn't have to deal with that. She could tell they could both go places if they worked together and lost the dead weight.

She had been made temp cheer leader out of the growing group, and so she'd been determined to show Kim that it would be better to listen to Bonnie, her true friend who had her and Kim's own best interests at heart.

She'd made up a routine that was impossible. She couldn't even begin to imagine training or trying to do it. She'd assured her teammates that.

Later when Kim failed, she'd console her and maybe subtly plant seeds of doubt that hanging out with Ron was partly the reason. Dealing with him didn't leave her with enough time to practice, and she'd have to if she wanted to be a cheerleader, the pinnacle of high school status. Once Kim understood, she'd offer graciously to give her a second chance. She'd had control over Tara and Marcella so it'd be easy to convince them both to bend to her will.

It would humble Kim and put her in a position of being the gracious leader, all while solidifying her relationship with the uppity red head.

It was the perfect plan. She'd almost bit her tongue to keep from smiling at how perfectly it would all work out.

Then the music began and 'tin teeth' went and aced the program. She been made to look like a fool and worse still, it cemented Kim as the best cheerleader. Later on when they were voting it would be that routine that would push Kim into being cheer captain. Had Bonnie given her a normal routine it might still have been possible to do damage control with her influence, but as it was Kim's talents outshone any attempts she could make to appear the better choice.

It was the first of many such bitter defeats at the hands of Kim Possible. What's worse was how she never seemed to realize that she had just walked over her, before whatever Bonnie wanted just landed in her lap. She'd even had the gall to thank Bonnie for her help picking the routine, and encouraging her to try out for the team when she'd briefly considered it.

If she had noticed the funny frown/grimace that etched Bonnie's face as she was forced to congratulate her she probably forgot it when she hugged Ron excitedly that day in the gym.

There she was, surrounded by the other members and that loser friend of hers and it hadn't mattered one bit because she had won.

And Bonnie had lost, just like she seemed destined to lose forever.

By now Bonnie could almost be mistaken for a dragon the way her eyes seemed to spit fire and the clawed hands.

She'd was clearly on the warpath. Even as she was somewhat placated by the way people instinctively threw themselves out of her way lest they suffer her wrath, (as they should) she also knew that she'd have to go up to some of them and put up the act necessary to make nice. There were people even _she_ couldn't afford to piss off too much if she wanted to stay where she was. Had she been the only one here at Middleton High with her looks and talents she would have ruled without fear or concern.

But again K set an example of standing up to Bonnie, and so she was forced to extend the leashes every so often less people began to resent her too much.

She was twisting her mind trying to come up with something she could use her advantage in their little war of words and petty put downs.

The problem was Kim laughed off so much of what she did now. She'd thought she'd won when she found out one of the sweaters was Smarty Mart. The Kim Possible of the past would have been flushed with embarrassment to be even considered wearing bargain brands, much less caught dead actually wearing one in public. This Kim Possible had laughed it off with that annoying twist of her head. Apparently, Ron had bought it with his employee discount because it reminded him of her somehow. She'd been flattered and worn it on and off for a week at school and at dates. Technically speaking it had gotten the okay from Monique in terms of design even if it was blasphemy to buy anything other than Club Banana.

(Kim had later promised Monique that it was mostly a one time thing since Ron had bought it for her on the spur of the moment.)

She'd even had the nerve to mention college and how she'd probably be forced to buy cheaper clothes given her need to spend on a budget.

Like Bonnie needed another reminder that Brick, her once dependable rock for a boost in popularity was now lost to her forever, in the grips of tertiary education that had eluded him for so long.

It was like some bizzaro world where everything was reversed. Her humiliated and without a boyfriend. And Possible confident,(okay so that wasn't so new) at ease around Bonnie, and with a boyfriend that somehow made them the best couple in Middleton.

Where was the justice?

She recalled the scene earlier of the girls surrounding Stoppable and his baby sister. While she hadn't gotten a clear glimpse of the little girl what with the army of teenagers vying for her attention, she had seen one particular reaction to the whole mess.

_Looks like some things still piss off Possible._ She thought with satisfaction

Either way it gave her a line of attack. She'd spread the word about Stoppable's 'oh so cute' baby sister and get more girls to pay attention to Ron. That wasn't enough though, and she decided she wanted to do something else. It would be hard with Monique in the know but she'd spread some word through her lackeys that maybe Hana wasn't just an adopted sister. Kim had certainly seemed tweaked enough, maybe she could say it was because it was Ron's secret love child with that Japanese exchange student a while back. It had stoked the fires of the gossip vine when an asian beauty like that girl had come out of nowhere to pick up Ron Stoppable of all people. Kim had been besides herself with jealousy that whole day. It would be nice to rub it in her face even if she knew it was a bunch of lies.

Revenge would be sweet.

* * *

Authors notes:

apologies for the long authors note: but since i can't respond directly to the review I'll leave it here.

Slipgate: I'm glad I'm writing when I've got readers taking the time to analyze and put up their concerns.

Spot on with how you think Kim doesn't really answer the question. Technically their relationship starts off in the STD movie. As much as I like them together it's been a strange relationship. In a lot of ways much of what we see from them in season 4 is the best friend situation + in my view. Potential is there, but it's not completely obvious that they love each other forever or anything. It felt like there was build up and some teasing of them together – but STD just happened BAM and that was it. Like a sort of required happy end at the end of the (planned/Disney) series, but could have had them easily stay as best friends forever as well.

One of my favorite authors argued that of course they don't find love right away. Kim's still a young girl who's figuring out stuff about herself, and how many people can say for sure that they know what love is? How Ron fits into that? I get the feeling she likes-likes him, always wants him around. Is that enough? Can that be the base of a relationship? It certainly would seem to be enough for dating, but I think Ron was asking about something a little (and at the same time much) deeper than that. Even if he can't exactly wrap himself around "it" much less use the words. They're definitely not the kind to whisper sweet nothings all the time to each other, too much – or at least we don't see that in episodes (then again this is more of a fill in the gaps story).

If you look at the chapters preceding that then you could argue their thoughts and feelings and actions show that they do care. How much of that is the best friends sitch? How much of that is romantic feelings? I don't think even Kim is completely sure. So she stuck with what she knew and could be honest about. That she needs Ron as a partner, as a cornerstone in her life.

Ron is...a follower. When it comes to Kim. He's molded himself into the role of sidekick in so many aspects of their relationship that having them as equal partners in word and deed is a difference for him. It has effects on how he behaves. This whole relationship pushes Ron to change in various ways to deserve her while being much of the same person. Because for the first time in a long time he's happier and more content with what he has and where he is in life. IF there is one thing I would say it's that what Ron has done here is put the ball in Kim's court because as he's said here he trusts her to do the right thing for both of them and he'll follow what she lays down. He can step up if he needs to by being honest, but he tends to let Kim do much of it. Technically, he already did the moment he threw himself in as a possible love interest that night back in STD.

Roughly I've sketched out the bare bones of the story that estimates about 18 days or so spread out throughout the year. From beginning to end. Hopefully by the end of that in time for graduation I'll have written a solid case for how they will last beyond college etc. Then again maybe the characters will surprise me, I didn't see Kim reacting the way she did exactly last chapter but she did. So that's what I'm working with now.

Also chapters 1-3 have been edited for flow, mistakes etc. Or at least I think they have. Hopefully, they're not worse than they were before. Check it out!

* * *

_**Preview:**_

"Ron is that a miniature mad dog mask? You can't seriously be thinking Hana should try to be the new mascot do you?"


	5. SF: The Hana Effect

**Days of Hana**

_**School Flowers Part 2**_

**by unwrittenaria**

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Disclaimer: all of the characters, etc belong to disney, and the original creators. This was done for non-profit. Etc. Etc.

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Middleton High Rooftop

The wind buffeted Felix's hair (okay, teased since his was short, sharp and spiky) as he relaxed looking out over the layout of the city of Middleton from his perch on the rooftop. Surprisingly, it was a little lower than he was used to at times, but as he maneuvered himself he reflected it was something he definitely might not have experienced without his accident. It was a paradox to him at times that he could simultaneously be upset and grateful for the accident. Grateful perhaps was too strong of a word, he was grateful for his mother with or without the prosthetic expertise, but it certainly gave him a chance to enjoy something few of his friends and classmates understood.

Strangely, this was one thing he and Kim had in common that wasn't part of the friendship he shared with Ron. His wheelchair had to conserve fuel so he couldn't fly as much as he liked, but when he could the adrenaline rush never really disappeared even after all this time. Kim had commented it was much of what she enjoyed when she was free falling and on occasion flew herself, aided by Wade's rocket jet packs. Felix felt it was a personal point of pride that he shared something with the girl who could do anything beyond jokes at Ron's expense.

_Speaking of Ron..._

"Felix, this was a terrible idea! Why did you let yourself get talked into it in the first place?" Ron asked in exasperation.

"You said Hana would love it." he deadpanned.

"Okay, YES! Han does love the flying, but now I'll never be able to make her _forget_ about it! You! You just want her to beg you for rides don't you? It's going to be 'Felix Fly' for the next month! Do you know how many bags of sugar free candy I had to buy after that one free fall?! (Never mind that Smarty Mart sells them in bulk packs.)"

"Hmm... I do recall a bag of sugar free snacks the last time we pulled a Zombie Mayhem all-nighter." Felix mused rubbing his chin slightly.

"Not the point _wheels_. The point is this is just one small step towards Hana getting her own bicycle!"

"I'd tell you I'm not following but that should be unnecessary by now."

"Felix for once set aside the crazy brainage that's sending you to MIT and think about things the way Hana would..."

"So now you're telling me to think like a baby?"

"...and see that awesome flying wheelie-mobile like yours from Hana's perspective is going to mean anything with wheels will fly! I mean Kim's car can do it so that's no help, but imagine the angst-oh the baby ridden angst- when she finds out her tricycle doesn't fly!"

"Ron, you could uh... show her your old scooter?" he hazarded.

"That thing has rocket boosters! She's going to grow up begging for a transforming bike that hovers and then where will I be? She's already learning the puppy dog pout, man! One terrible day she'll grow up and then unleash it upon the world and we'll be all doomed!" He took a breath here to mime the destruction of the world with a loud ***BOOM* **and what seemed like his head exploding if Felix was reading Ron's hand signals correctly.

Rufus took this moment to show his loyalty by nodding furiously chattering. He even mimed a little shock wave from the explosion hitting him followed by dropping over dead on Ron's head.

Hana was looking up eager to join in the fun. She was halfway through her own death falling backwards when Ron snatched her up before she could conk herself out.

"Easy Ron-man. I'm sure Hana's going to grow up to be a very level-headed younger sister. If that is, she wants to counterbalance her older brother."

"Ya' know you've probably got a point there-hey waitaminute!"

"Look all I'm saying is you've done your best to look out for her and teach her along the way right?"

Nodding from a dejected Ron.

"So just keep that up and it'll be cool. You'll be a great counter-example of what not to do growing up."

"Yah thanks alot Renton, just remind me to _double_ your score when we head to the arcade tomorrow."

"Please Stoppable, you cannot defeat your destiny, and your destiny is to lose to me." he mocked clasping his hands together like a certain old wise man Ron knew.

"Fine, laugh now, but remember as they said in  Bricks of Fury VII: The Brickinihilation. '_The bricks of fury will end your world!_' Just like I will when I take all time high score!" he intoned darkly.

They both faced off neither sure which cracked first, bursting out with laughter as Ron plopped down on the roof floor Hana secure in his lap.

"So you want a sandwich? I packed some extra in case, my way of thanking you for the lift up."

While he spoke he automatically began a trick he learned watching TV, and began to form a fist right in front of Hana. He hid his thumb while she grasped his clenched hand trying to unfurl it. Periodically he would pop out his thumb and wiggle it at her before hiding it again. Felix observed the peek-a-boo thumb game which seemed to please Hana to no end. She was already wrestling the hand closer to her tummy so she could more easily capture the elusive digit.

"Alright, Ron made sandwiches? Count me in!" he said eagerly, having enjoyed Chez Ron when it was open, and getting occasional meals when they headed to Ron's place for game night on occasion. He wheeled closer to take the paper bag even as he enjoyed the wafting smell carried by the breeze.

Felix did his best to ignore the cute toddler while he began to chew on his sandwich. He suspected if he stared much longer he'd be roped into eventually buying presents for her until he was old.

"So what was with the girl gang up dude? Feeling confident enough to take on Kim now?" he ribbed.

Ron shot him a dirty look.

"Yah right! I mean it's not like I didn't enjoy the ladies admiring Ron Stoppables' perfect little sister, but I _totally_ tried to back away when they started getting touchy-feely- for Hana's sake of course."

"Woah, easy dude, I'm not your girlfriend remember. You can be honest with me." He grinned.

"Fine, I might have gotten a _teensy_ bit happy that all the babes were hanging around, but that was before I started going out with Kim. From now on the Rondo never strays!" he declared emphatically as if Kim was standing right behind him.

"Haha, don't need to prove yourself to me at any rate. What's the deal with dragging all of us up here anyway? I'm pretty sure it's not a handicapped parking space or anything."

"Well, it seemed like Kim was kinda tweaked when Hana was getting all the attention, so I figured I should give the Caf a pass today. That and we _are_ talking about mystery meat Monday. **Nobody** needs that coming back first day of school!"

"Hear, hear!" Felix agreed.

"Little sis seemed kinda pooped after the gym adventure, so I guess I wanted to give her a little nap. No way I was going to chow down with Mr. B in the classroom or teachers office."

"He offered?" Felix asked incredulous.

"Yah, for a moment I thought Monkeyfist was playing me somehow."

Felix nodded in thought at this. "Hana really does bring out everyone's protective side."

"Who's going to resist this cute mug." Ron finally gave up and let Hana grab his thumb, which she captured victoriously before yawning.

"Seems you were right about her being tired."

"She's all played out for now, an hour later and she'll be charged and ready to run."

"So you're just going to dig in and shy away from all her adoring fans? What will the PR agents say?"

"We hired em' so they work for us. Right Rufus?"

Rufus was in shades with a tiny suit signing papers. Felix blinked at what seemed to be glossy photographs of Hana reaching out to hug the camera with tiny hand prints. "**uh huh', uh' huh"**

He nodded at this bizarre occurrence doing the guy thing by ignoring it.

"So you can't hide up here forever, and somehow it seems like you got a pass off from school if you wanted to. Lucky dog, why're you still here anyway?"

"Well, I was kinda hoping Kim could give me a ride back when her mom comes to pick up the tweebs. Rare day off and all that." Ron explained. "Besides, Hana basically told me she'd throw a 'tude if she didn't get to see the rest of the school."

Felix nodded at this wisely not asking more. Not everything Ron said made sense, but if he could understand naked mole rat Felix doubted he'd have much trouble deciphering Hana's baby babble. At least _that_ was still of human origin. For a moment he contemplated harnessing Ron's mind into some kind of universal animal translator machine before shaking his head to clear it.

"More importantly, are you finally going to admit that flamethrowers beat lightsabers when it comes to cutting down the undead?"

"Not this again, c'mon dude everyone knows-"

* * *

Tara King walked over to her usual table of fellow cheerleaders, daintily setting down her tray with the practiced grace of... a girl who spent much of her after school hours dancing and leaping in synchronized routines to musical accompaniment. If anything there was probably a collective urge from her squad mates to sync up with her when she sat down.

Even Tara's usually sunny disposition, buffeted as she was by being with friends took a hit at the stench from the gray matter of today's meal. She fondly recalled eating a few times at the senior table last year, and wondered what had went wrong this year and whether it could be fixed. Or if not that, then at least whether Ron could step into the kitchen again. She was largely over Ron by now and going steady with her boyfriend, but she had lingered wistfully seeing him with Hana. He obviously loved his little sister very much. She tilted her head around hoping to catch sight of the delightful Hana Stoppable somewhere.

She frowned cutely at the noticeable absence of a little Asian girl, before giving in to the tyrannies of her high school mandated food program. Around the table Crystal carefully primped her short brown hair into it's natural wavy form before starting on her salad that she had brought with her from home. Jessica and Liz were sitting close pouring over a fashion magazine for the latest season of styles. Liz was also doing her best to disguise her disgust at the fawning from Ron Rieger, who apparently decided drooling and staring was an appropriate form of expressing his devotion to the elite crowd of Middleton High. (That Bonnie wasn't there was a shame but he would soldier on just the same.) Hope and Marcella felt no need to disguise their disgust, and glared as best as they could at the drooling senior. (Their glowers having been molded by exposure and emulation of the glares from the two poles of feminine power produced something not unlike lasers. Their effect on Reiger was much the same, he wilted from the scorching heat before slinking off again.)

"Did any of you see Ron come in?" asked Tara.

One or two of the beauties rolled their eyes, but the rest of them grinned.

"So Tara, asking about _Ron_ again?" teased Hope. "You know _you-know-who_ won't be too pleased to hear that. Not to mention what our_ fearless_ leader would say..." she trailed off with a cocked eyebrow.

"It isn't _like_ that Hope." Tara pouted determined not to blush. "I'm very happy with my boyfriend now, and I'm glad Kim and Ron are together! I just wanted to see if Ron wanted any help with Hana."

The squad looked at each other before coquettishly exclaiming "_Sssurrrreeee_...."

Tara huffed at this blatant teasing of her good intentions.

"Let's say we believe you Tar." mocked Liz. "Are you sure seeing him with a little girl doesn't get you all... _nurture-ing_?"

Tara wasn't sure exactly what Liz was insinuating, but the way she drawled out that last word was enough of a hint that she should probably be upset about it.

"No! I just like Hana a lot. She's the sweetest little girl." Tara said before turning smug. "Besides I saw you cooing and tickling her chin Liz when you thought no one was looking. I never knew you had such a soft spot for children, you big old softie."

"_Ooooohhh_." chorused the group, turnabout was fair play after all.

"She was a little cute... but I-" Liz tried to protest fingering her purple headband nervously.

"Was just as taken in by her as I was, all of us." Tara continued triumphantly finishing for her.

"She really _was_ cute. Just wanted to pick her up and take her home with me." giggled Jessica.

"Who would have guessed Stoppable would get such a pretty little sister to spoil." sighed Marcella lamenting her own single child status. (oh well the grass is always greener and all that.)

Tara noticed Crystal fidgeting and since she wasn't having the grey stuff Tara was stuck with she guessed it had nothing to do with lunch. "Crystal is something wrong?" asked Tara in genuine concern.

"Well I'm not sure if I should say this..." Crystal broke off nervously. Which was as good as telling them, trying to hide gossip was like goldfish and fish food. They'd flap their lips as long as it took to catch every morsel, every flake.

"I heard from Amelia that there were rumors going around that Hana really is Ron's daughter." Crystal said as she broke down under incessant cries of 'spill'.

"**Ha**, that's a laugh." said Hope. "As if Stoppable hasn't been saving himself for-_Ouch_!" she was roughly cut off as Tara pinched her on the arm scandalized.

"I agree with Hope, no way Kim would have managed to hold this kind of news in if Ron had gotten a daughter somehow." agreed Marcella. She shivered for a moment. "If anything, we'd know better than anyone if Ron stepped out of line." (_drills from hell drills from hell drillsfromhell_)

The other cheerleaders understood. Having trained together so long as to have formed a bond that allowed them something approaching a hive mind in certain areas. They might be the best cheer leading squad in the Tri-State area, but they paid for that title in sweat and tears (figuratively speaking most of the time, they were cheerleaders after all.) There were certainly times when the collective nature of their thoughts against their red headed captain (tinged by dark emotions as they were) should have resulted in some kind of jinx or curse. (If will fueled by emotion for a desired outcome was really a rule of magic at any rate.)

"He did go to Japan once though, didn't he?" Crystal mentioned uncertainly. "Then after that there were all those rumors for a month about that oriental beauty who took him out of school."

"She wasn't _that_ pretty." fumed Hope to herself, a little put out that she wasn't the de-facto oriental beauty standard.

"She did have that crazy school girl outfit. I swear the boys wouldn't stop talking about it for _weeks_." said Jessica tossing her long golden hair back with a flick of disdain. "One of them even tried to start a petition for uniforms. Thank goodness, that didn't last long."

One or two of them secretly wanted to try out uniforms since they thought it could be cute, but mostly agreed nodding their heads that the boys were a bunch of pervs and not to be encouraged.

"If anything, if Hana had any real relation with Ron it'd probably be because of one of those missions Kim and him go on." Liz reasoned. "There certainly seems to be enough weird stuff going on when they fight those freaks."

"There's no way Hana could be anything weird." insisted Tara. "She's just a cute little girl they adopted. I'm glad they decided to have her, it'd be terrible if she grew up in an orphanage without anyone looking after her."

"Calm down T, I'm sure Ron takes care of her just fine. He certainly takes better care of Rufus, more than he ever did himself." quipped Marcella.

Marcella mused to herself that it was quite extraordinary the way Ron had impacted this group. He had been universally panned by the group when he had showed up at first to audition as the mascot. It had been impressive the way he had anticipated the crowd reaction to his routine, but even then he was reluctantly let on. Then Camp Wannaweep had happened and some of the girls (one in particular she grinned to herself) slowly began to accept him without open disgust. Marcella hadn't had much of an opinion of him beyond his constant appearance beside Kim. If anything she enjoyed having Ron around because she could be sure it would set off Bonnie. They were friends but Bonnie had a habit of turning into an uptight witch about a lot of things, and having Ron there to redirect all that attitude was a great relief (Bon-bon indeed). Besides, he was interesting in an America's Funniest Home Videos way, something entertaining was bound to happen eventually. You just needed to know when to step back, before the crap metaphorically hit the fan.

She looked over to Tara and noticed the blond was frowning slightly. She could surmise that Tara had probably guessed right away the rumors were probably Bonnie's doing. T was Bonnie's best friend growing up after all. She mused it was another case of opposites attract, with the super nice and mostly innocent blond matching the sarcastic force of social nature that was the Queen B of Middleton. _It wasn't the most obvious example but..._

"Crystal, did you hear where Amelia heard this from" asked Tara still frowny.

"I'm not sure, she didn't mention anyone in particular, but I'm sure I saw Bonnie talking to her." Crystal replied after she concentrated on her memories a bit.

"Bonnie..." Tara seemed to deflate at this a little, before resolutely gathering herself up for confrontation.

Marcella mused again that while in many ways Kim and Bonnie were the driving forces of the team, Tara was the nice glue that kept them from fraying at the edges. She was pleasant and seemingly naive enough that no one could really say no to her, it'd be like kicking a kitten. In fact much of the smoothing out of tempers and arguments were done with her moderation. Neither Bonnie or Kim really noticed how much exactly it was Tara contributed to ensure that the teammates got along with each other, since she just wanted everyone to be friends.

She was tempted to follow as Tara got up saying goodbye, before heading out she suspected to talk to a certain uppity tanned friend of hers. As much as she was interested in a confrontation between the two friends, she wisely decided it wouldn't do for Bonnie to notice her spying on them. A pissed off Bonnie was enough of a pain in the rear end, but Tara would probably be disappointed in her and that _really_ would be unpleasant.

Marcella smiled ruefully at lost opportunities, before moving over to Crystal in the hopes of stealing some fruit.

_Anything other than this drivel... _she resisted the urge to spit at the disgusting glop.

* * *

Kim wasn't sick with worry...yet. She'd checked the classrooms and the teachers lounge and there was still no sight of Ron or Hana. With 20 minutes left for lunch break she was tempted to just call Wade and use the tracking chip. The only thing that really stopped her was her pride, she knew Ron was still on campus and it rankled her that she couldn't find him in a such a small area. Calling Wade would almost feel like cheating, but she was fast approaching the stage where she no longer cared if it was. She was tired of fighting off scenarios of Ron being mobbed by overeager girls prey to Hana's wiles, cooked up by what she was sure was an overtaxed mind. Somehow, it had been a little hard to go to sleep last night. And that was on top of missing dinner, breakfast, and if she wasn't careful now, lunch.

As Kim's body continued on auto-pilot searching for patterns or hints she pondered on the night before.

* * *

_"So Kimmie what happened last night" asked her mother in what Kim privately thought was a much too amused tone for someone's mother to be taking. _

Mom's been kind of insufferable recently with how much fun she has poking me about Ron. Okay not quite insufferable but definitely having too much fun at my expense.

_"Yes, Kimmie-Cub what did happen last night?" asked her father. _

_She was too busy angrily putting away her shoes for the tone or the slight frown to get across entirely. Still it put her more on guard. On top of everything that afternoon and her mother it was just another extra load she resented. The trip to the mall and the visit afterward to Cuddlemporium had been nice. A tad tenser and more strained than was usual, but Kim couldn't entirely hide her tweak at Ron. He sensed this and wisely focused on Hana, leaving Kim to browse the shelves at her leisure while he tried to find Hana her own plush soul mate. _

At least Hana seemed to have a blast. If Ron isn't careful he's going to have another devotee to the cult of Cuddlebuddies. I should try to resist fostering that, Mr. And Mrs. Stoppable seem determined to spoil Hana rotten. Not that I can entirely blame them. She might end up with a room full of_- Kim's eyes glazed over at a treasure trove of plush figures in Hana's room. _

_The image of the little girl surrounded by every imaginable Cuddle Buddy was almost enough to make her reconsider her own love for them. That was a little too much cute for one mental image. She couldn't resist indulging in her fantasy for a moment of that room filled to the brim with Cuddle Buddies she could swim in, hugging them all to her heart's content. Having Hana in that picture was pretty much the marshmallows on top. _

_James noticed the smile and the glazed look, and wasn't too happy about his own conclusions as to why that would happen in conjunction with "last night." He coughed nervously before frowning more in the hopes it would snap her out of her daze. "Kimmie-cub?"_

_Anne was a little confused but guessed it wasn't anything Ron related. If anything this looked more like that happy daze Kim had when she had been given Panderoo all those long years ago. She even recognized it from the few times when she snuck into Kim's room after her daughter had fallen asleep, following a mission where she had been hurt. That same smile while she slept holding her toy had made Anne relax as well._

_She couldn't help but wonder when she'd see that smile start to merge with the one that came when Kim was hugging Ron and vice versa._

"_ingoat- huh? Oh, Hi dad, mom." she answered flustered at having been caught daydreaming. She moved quickly to dispel the moment giving both of them quick hugs. "Sorry daddy. Mom I just got back and I should probably put away my mission gear first. I'll be back down again soon."_

"_Don't worry dear, we'll be having dinner soon. Leave your mission clothes in the hamper, and I'll start up the laundry soon." Anne called up the stairs after her daughter._

"_But Kim-" James was cut off by Anne leading him gently away by the elbow. "Anne she didn't even _call_ last night to tell us she was staying over. I want to hear an explanation!" he paled a bit at some unspoken thought before he tried to disengage from her grip._

"_Now James, we both know that Kim will explain herself when she comes back down. Why don't you help me with the table before dinner, and then we can hear all about it when she's ready." Anne did her best to sound reassuring. After this many years of marriage she hardly had to do or say much to get her husband to listen to her. He trusted her instinctively. Her husband was easy going and jovial about nearly everything else in life. _

Lord knows he deals with the twins without losing his temper and a smile half the time which is usually more than I can say.

_She was sure James picked up on the obvious worry that Kim allowed slip on her face, before she'd masked it coming into the house. What she couldn't be sure he saw was the current of anger underneath. Although at what, Anne couldn't tell for sure. It seemed a bit too strong to be something to do with Ron, given her daughters built up immunity to her best friends mistakes over time. _

_Her daughter was certainly strong for her age, and sometimes she couldn't help but worry that she was a little too strong. Too reserved, and too in control to let herself relax when she needed it. If there had been a regret of Anne's it was that she wasn't as close to her daughter as she wanted to be. Being the head neurosurgeon took dedication and practice even as brilliant as she was. In many ways she saw echoes of Kim's missions in her own work. She could not help but do her best to try and save her patients to the best of her abilities. So while her daughter trusted her and was proud to have her as a role model, she wasn't always intimate with her personal life. _

_It went without saying that the role of relaxer and confidante was a role Ron played to a hilt. Anne sometimes wondered if Ron put himself in situations where Kim needed to help someone (usually Ron) allowing her to banish her own worries and focus on doing what she seemed born to do. Helping others. She questioned if even Ron understood what he did for her. Just how much Kim shined in those settings, her inherent need to do good, the adrenaline rush and excitement that came from it, how much it was intertwined with her development, mindset, lifestyle, perspective of the world, and her values. It was a way of simplifying the world into good and bad, but she was confident her daughter was up to adapting to complexities as they arose. There would eventually be a time when she wouldn't be doing missions full time, or perhaps not in the same way. One thing she knew, Kim would never hear her mother tell her to stop, the good that she did, the lives she saved, the kind of person she was changing into was someone Anne was incredibly proud of. Kim was developing and had quite a lot of growing up left to do, but she had faith that with only a little input here and there her daughter could change the world for the better. What more could a loving parent ask for?_

_She put the finishing touches of her famous brain-lasagna. _Not color correct but the anatomical likeness really is very impressive if I do say so myself.

_A couple minutes later the table was set and the brains served piping hot. _

_"Jim, Tim come down for dinner. C'mon Kim the lasagna will be cold." she called out giving the last of the plates to James._

"_Smells delicious as usual, honey." James said with a large smile and a rumbling belly._

_There was a few scattered yells and bumps as the two twins made their way down after their daily allotted attempt to prank Kim. Rather than try to curtail it completely the parents (being brilliant and not stupid enough to fight the impossible, even for a possible) had proposed that Jim and Tim were challenged to limit themselves to one prank a day. They couldn't repeat themselves either. Kim raged but agreed in the end, knowing that at least the tweebs would be restricted by the need to challenge themselves. Before they had struck whenever they fancied multiple times a day, but now they built up the pranks into grand schemes for a bigger payoff. It had grew to increasingly ridiculous levels, but having experience with evil villains and end of the world plots gave her a fighting chance against the deranged brilliance that was her little brothers. Kim privately feared someday that she'd be facing off against them for real, should they ever be hit by the Attitudinator or some other personality warping machine. It would be so the drama, in more ways than one._

"_Perhaps you should tell them to give today a -" began Anne._

"_**TWEEBS**!" James looked up in surprise, he was fairly certain there was some dust sprinkling down from the ceiling as Kim's irate cry shook the rafters. _

"_HooSHA! Gottagosisbye!" followed by more rumbling movement and the sudden appearance of a pair of flustered kids at the table. _

"_Man sis-"_

"_is _really_-"_

"_pissed off-"_

"_today for-"_

"_some reason-"_

"_the prank-"_

"_didn't even-"_

"_work and-"  
"she still-"_

"_nearly tore-"_

"_our heads-"  
"off, _jeez_."_

_they said in tandem._

"_Jim, Time you should know better than annoying your sister." James said. "You boys need to learn how to read the atmosphere. If you want to get into science sometimes it pays to have a little knowledge of intuition too. It's the difference between random experimenting and innovation. It'll go a long way to helping you out if you're serious about inventing boys." James explained with a touch of the professor in him._

"_Don't encourage them." Anne said sternly. "Did you boys wash your hands?"_

"_Yes" they chorused together._

_Kim arrived a few minutes later unamused, and definitely not in the mood for food much less the interrogation she was sure to receive after dinner. _

_The usual family dinner talk followed. Each of the members in turn going on about their day. It was another gray hair when Jim and Tim let slip they were slowly reconfiguring their desks and chairs into some kind of vehicle in an effort to stave off boredom. The two doctor Possibles traded glances bartering with whose turn it was to go talk to the teachers._

_Kim was more stoic than usual taking the brunt of much of the twins thinly veiled insults without much reaction. Finally, it was obvious that she wasn't paying much attention and the twins dialed down their antics, having no interest in the lack of sport presented by their sister who wasn't going to retaliate._

_Dr. Possible was worried, his Kimmie-cub usually a spirited member during dinner was decidedly non-communicative. Even stranger perhaps was that Ronald had not stopped by for a plate of food on Brain-loaf night. True, Anne had prepared lasagna instead, but changes in menu rarely stopped the tow headed youth from showing up with Kim ready to chow down whatever Kim couldn't bring herself to stomach. _

_The reminder of a strange Kim, and Ron's weird behavior brought out the worst fears in James. He had no rational reason to infer that anything really bad had happened, but his father instincts blared like a rocket launch klaxon. His daughter was in some kind of distress and it was his obligation as a father to either send that problem into a black hole, or at least guide her to the knowledge of her much wiser mother._

_After dinner was finished (with Anne frowning at 3/4ths of Kim's plate left untouched) the twins were left with dish washing duty as punishment. Kim left to the living room after a mumble of thanks. James looked to Anne for direction and she motioned for him to follow her. She would stay behind to monitor the twins. _

He really needs to talk to her some more.

_James Possible walked into the living room where he found his daughter curled up on the couch hugging a pillow to herself. His heart went out to her, seeing her in pain. (For someone like Kim to even appear like she was hurting, much less not care about doing it in private where no one else could see her, was a warning sign even James recognized.)_

_For once, James decided now was not a time to remind Kim of their agreed upon dating etiquette, specifically sub sections relating to boyfriends and staying the night. Dredging up what little he could remember from his time with Anne while they were dating, and what observations he had of the mother daughter variety led him to the astoundingly brilliant idea of staying silent. He could tell she knew he was there, waiting for her to unburden without overtly forcing her._

_This continued for an indeterminate period of time broken up by periodic noises from the kitchen of clanking dishes and water before even that finally disappeared. Just as James worried he'd have to go and find Anne after all, he saw Kim uncurl herself rolling over to look at him hesitantly._

"_Can I ask you for advice daddy?" she asked in a strangely soft voice. It was perhaps a voice only he had heard being her father. And suddenly she was back to being the little girl that he raised. It was a voice that scared him now because when she was young he could solve her problems. Now though much of her issues were beyond his comfort or ability to solve. Perhaps one precluded the other, but he decided this once he wouldn't let Anne handle it (maybe it had been so long since he heard that particular voice from her). After all she had already done so every time before._

"_Sure Kimberly, you can always ask me anything." he replied. "I just can't always promise not to run away." he said ruefully._

_She nodded at this "Thank you daddy." _

"_Before you start, can I ask if this is about Ron?" he clearly had to force the question out._

_Kim looked resigned, but she looked him in the eye when she said "Yes it is daddy, is that okay?"_

_he fidgeted in his chair obviously eager to bolt. He took a deep breath that seemed to stabilize him. "Yes Kim, of course it is, what did you want to ask about?"_

_His agreement to talk obviously lifted her spirits a great deal. Kim kept herself from leaping onto him to give him a hug to express her gratitude._

"_It's about Ron. This afternoon he..." she broke off trying to marshal her thoughts so they wouldn't reflect Ron in a bad light to her father. "He's changing. He's still _Ron_ but ever day now there's parts of him that I don't know. I know being in l-liking someone, and having them like you back can make differences. I just never realized that there could be a Ron I don't recognize or understand. It's like I'm losing my best friend Dad." She gave an angry little hic-cup at this._

_He nodded uncomfortably. _

"_Kim, I know you and Ronald have been close ever since you were young." he spoke earnestly. "He may have seemed rather static over this last decade since you've known him. Whether you realize it he has been changing, as have you. Neither of you are old enough to be set in stone already. I will tell you honestly, that you are losing your best friend."_

_She looked up in shock and denial at this statement, and he continued on._

"_For good or bad you cannot _completely_ go back to that stage in your life, in _your_ lives. I think we've all heard Ronald's rant against change once or twice. There are things to be afraid of with change, your reasons for changing, how those changes will affect the people around you. At the same time none of us stay the same, Kimmie. At some point in the future you and Ron might find that you are best friends again. Maybe not. Whatever happens though that aspect of your relationship will never go away completely. It's just adapting to your new relationship, figuring out how it fits in." _

_He paused to see how she was taking this. She nodded slowly, a combination or relief and resistance at what he was saying. _

"_Kimmie-cub you mentioned some changes in Ron, and from what I've gathered over the last couple of months one of the big changes was his younger sister Hana Stoppable, correct?" asked Dr. Possible._

"_Dad, you should see him with her, he's turning out to be such a loving big brother." she said with pride. _

"_Kim, I can tell you quite honestly that having you changed my life. My whole world turned upside down when we found out we were going to have you. It became easier to adjust when we had the twins later, but they changed my life as well. It may seem like an exaggeration now, but having a child of your own makes everything seem different. Especially since, and I know you hate to hear it, you are my Kimmie-cub. You are my daughter, and I would move the entire planet for you if I could – and given my resources I'd like to imagine I'd have a fair shot at it." He joked._

_It had been so long since she and her dad had, had a really earnest honest conversation it left Kim dazed. _

_"Thank you, daddy." she replied unsure of exactly how to respond._

"_That aside Kimberly, Ron is learning perhaps what it means to be an adult for the first time. He has to take care of someone younger than him, someone who depends on him to watch out for her in a different way than being your sidekick. Responsibility that he perhaps never had to practice with either you, or Rufus, or even himself being a single child growing up, in quite the same way he's used to. So having Hana there is going to mean Ronald will have to start taking things more seriously. At the very least, he'll begin to see the world a little differently. It's certainly how I felt back when I learned I would be providing for a family of my own. Is that... some of the changes you've seen in Ron?"_

_She nodded in sudden understanding. She had grasped most of it instinctively, but having her father point it out it made it clearer. Ron had said as much before, but it hadn't quite hit home until she heard it here, now like this._

"_Finally Kim, he's with you now. Not as team mates, or friends, but with **you.** I wouldn't be surprised if he was thinking of the future every now and then. His future, your future, whether you have a future together. I'd like to pretend you won't have to think about anything like that anytime soon," and here he gave another weary sigh," but the truth is you do. You should consider it, without obsessing over it. I've told you before how special you are, anything is Possible for a Possible, but Ron is no less special. Because he was your best friend, and now is something more. Take your time to carefully find out what that means for the both of you."_

"_Thank you daddy." she said gratefully, finally letting loose her desire to give him a tight hug. He distinctly felt bones grind before hugging her as well stroking her hair a bit before they separated. _

"_Kim, no matter what, your mother and I just want you to be _happy_. You know that right?" he said squeezing her shoulders._

"_I know." she clasped his arms, leaned in to give his cheek a quick kiss smiling at long last. "Thanks dad, for talking to me. I so needed it." _

"_Heh, well this old man can do more than build rockets you know? Honestly though, next time do me a favour and talk to your mother okay? She's better at the whole boys/dating advice parental role." he grinned sickly._

"_I'll try, but now I know you give good advice too. I won't forget next time!" she promised turning around to begin making her way back up to her room._

_There was a moments peace while the the kids were upstairs as James groaned massaging his temple and eyelids. That was certainly a draining experience he didn't want to repeat any time soon._

"_Well done honey, you did great." a warm voice murmured into his ear tickling him. He sighed again this time in relief. "I think that's just what she needed to hear, and just who she needed to hear it from."_

"_You made me come out here, knowing I would have to talk to her about this." accused James with a pretend scowl._

_His beautiful wife gave an impish grin, before she began to massage his shoulders. "You both needed to talk, that wasn't a conversation that I could have helped Kim with as much. She needed to talk to her father." _

"_I know better than to argue. Promise me it'll be a while until our next talk? A year or two at least, please and thank you?" he groaned enjoying the massage._

"_Alright dear, you won't need to have another serious talk with Kim until her wedding day. That shouldn't be more than a year or two off..." she murmured softly smiling._

_Dr. Possible's eyes snapped open in the middle of the enjoyable lull he was in. "Not funny Anne, don't even joke about that yet! They're both way too young to even _consider_ marriage!" he all but growled. _

_Seeing her lack of an apology he grabbed her by the wrists settling her in his lap. _

_Minutes later the Tweebs were horrified to find their parents exchanging cooties like Kim and Ron often did. _

"_Parent-" started Jim_

"_Cooties-" seconded Tim._

"_Sick-" said Jim._

"_and Wrong!" echoed Tim._

"_**Wrongsick**!" they delivered together._

_They failed to even get their usual 'Hick-a-bick-a-boo/Hoo-sha!' catchphrases out in their hurry to leave.  
_

_Scarred forever they fled with a wail, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Dr. P to chuckle to themselves. _

_

* * *

  
_

With only ten minutes left in the period Ron and Felix decided they might as well start heading back. Felix still had class, and Ron was anxious to find Kim. Not to mention a toilet or empty classroom where he could give Hana her diaper change. Thankfully, she was napping so they survived the flight down without a bouncing, excited ninja baby trying to jump around like she did on the flight up.

The whine of engines dimmed as the wheelchair set itself down, before the wheels folded back into their usual place. For the millionth time, Ron dreamed of what he could do with a ride like that. He shouldered the prep bag again and waved to Felix.

"Basketball this weekend?" he called out.

"Yah, feel free to bring along back up if you think you'll need it." said Felix.

Ron grinned back and with one last wave made his way through the corridors.

"K, now where would I be if I were a world saving cheer leader?" he asked himself.

He made it through the halls with minimum interruption from the quickly developing Hana fanclub by putting his fingers to his lips and pointing at the sleeping infant. It was a curious wave effect that people quieted down in his wake prompting people in front to quiet down as well.

_Should ask Wade to investigate if there's some kind of therapeutic effect to having a baby around. It's almost like sticking people into Mr. Barkin's naval history class. How that got into the curriculum was a mystery even Kim couldn't unravel._

Before he could do anything else his bad road sense tingled. He turned around with dread to face down (actually up, being significantly shorter) his high school nemesis.

_Should have known that the change in personality couldn't last forever._

"Stoppable, what did you think you were doing?" he barked at a relatively normal decibel level.

"Uhm, going to my next class to hand in my excuse note to get out?"

"**NEGATIVE**, I meant what were you doing on the roof with Mr. Renton! Do you think this child's life is some kind of **game**?! That the Sacky exercise was some kind of **joke**?! Given your behavior during that assignment, and your attitude now its no surprise you failed that as well." he continued grinding his teeth.

"Hey! I loved Sacky and every single one of his 30 descendants and extended relations. Besides, I treat Hana great!" He mumbled here, "I think. Everyone's been telling me I've been doing a good job being a brother!"

"Be that as it may Stoppable, going on the roof is definitely grounds for detention to say nothing of the _reckless endangermen_t of your charge! I'll be speaking to Mr. Renton later." Barkin thundered. "You will come with me to my office, _**NOW**_!"

Ron thought furiously, he didn't want Hana waking up when Barkin gave him a dressing down. She was already frowning a little, perhaps picking up on his worry or the negativity Mr. B seemed to radiate like a thundercloud.

Looking around he finally spotted Tara, who was making her way through the post lunch crowd with a determined scowly face.

_Nothing like a little of the ol' Hana charm for cheering up girls_. Ron though to himself. "Wait one sec Mr. B! Be right with you."

He intercepted Tara who blinked in surprise for a moment before smiling a little, then frowning again as she continued to look at him.

_Crap, did I forget something? Tara might have mentioned helping me feed Hana during lunch? Angry I flaked or... although I don't really remember promising to be there._

"Hey Tara, what's with the mean mood there?"

"Hi Ron, it's nothing. Just need to talk to a friend about being careful what they say about people." she replied rubbing her elbow with one hand.

"Oh, sounds... serious. Sorry, I know it's a lot to ask but do you think you could watch Hana for a couple minutes? Mr. B's going to read me my rap sheet, and I'd rather Hana not be there for her brothers dressing down. Unless you've got class or this talk is really important?"

"Of course not Ron, I'd be happy to help watch Hana for a bit. You're lucky you caught me now." she patiently stood there for another minute as he gave her a quick rundown of the supplies bag, and anything else he thought she might need to know.

She smiled at how careful he was being about it, and as she cradled Hana she looked down fondly reassuring him Hana was in good hands.

"You can trust me with her Ron."

"Thanks Tara, you're a lifesaver." he replied with a thumbs up. He reached out to brush her dark hair softly closing his eyes. _Sleep Hana, I'll be back before you wake up._

Unnoticed by either of them was a short flash of blue light from Hana's closed eyelids.

"Alright, I'm coming Mr. B. You know I was thinking the roof is a piece of prime real estate here. We should set up some tables and chairs, and I bet I could get a totally badical cook out joint going on up there!"

Rufus piped up at the sound of a cook out.

Barkin rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "Stop lolly-gagging Stoppable and move it, double time!"

_In all my years as an instructor..._

Tara giggled to herself as the trio made their way to the teacher's office.

A pair of cerulean eyes watched the whole exchange with mounting interest.

* * *

_Note to self, delegate more work for clubs_. Thought Kim in frustration.

She had been around the block twice now and was rounding up her third pass of the classes. Every couple feet she was blindsided by requests and decisions regarding clubs that she was a member of. She decided it was high time they learned to manage some of the more minor problems and decisions for themselves. Kim did her best to mask her tweak and be polite about it, citing something urgent that had come up, and leaving them to make the choices.

_There goes my shot at lunch_. She frowned. _Guess for once I'll be looking forward to a post practice meal. Maybe I could get Ron to go grab some food for me..._

Finally after scanning the crowds she caught sight of the familiar figure in the red jersey and black turtleneck. The fact that Ron was escorted by the rather large, imposing figure of Mr. Barkin was nothing out of the ordinary.

_Although I don't see Hana, where could Ron have left her?_

She caught up to them just as she was hearing the tail end of their conversation.

"-ne Stoppable, I'll take it up with the PTA and see if they'll agree to it. Personally I have my doubts, but if you can prove the structure and the layout meet safety standards I_ suppose _you could try."

"Thanks, Mr. B. I'll get Wade to check up on the school blueprints."

"Don't forget Stoppable, half the proceedings go to help paying for the supplies and other student funds, we couldn't allow a student to make a profit like this, so none of the money goes directly to you."

"I understand sir, but that's fine with the Ron man, I'll settle for wowing the crowds and making a little extra for this years-KP!"

"Ms. Possible?"

"Ron, I've been looking all over for you." she exclaimed. She cast a dubious look at him in light of his company. "What'd you do this time?"

"Check it KP, I'm explaining my grand plan to-"

"Mister Stoppable is accompanying me to the office to fill out his detention form to be served later."

"What? _Oh_ **c'mon** this _tanks_! I was going to go grab some Bueno Nacho after school, or..."

Kim fought off irritation that Ron would get himself in detention again, but at least that meant he would be here after she finished cheer leading...not that he wouldn't have been waiting for her anyway.

"Dare I ask why Ron's in detention again?"

"It's totally unfair Kim, I just-"

"Mister Stoppable convinced Mr. Renton to take him for a joyride up to the roof of the school, completely **ENDANGERING** two innocent lives, one of which was a toddler."

"Ron! What were you thinking?"

"Woah guys, _easy_ it was perfectly safe. I had Hana strapped in tight and Felix would never let us drop. I mean look, I'm here safe and sound aren't I?" he explained confidently.

They'd finally arrived in front of the teacher's office. Kim was still busy trying to wrap her head around the increasingly frivolous behavior Ron exhibited around Hana.

"Ron even so, what if Hana slipped out or anything happened to her. It's a huge distance to the ground for a little girl like her. You need to be more careful." Even as she said this she recalled Ron's descriptions of Hana fighting the Yono leaping incredible distances without ill effect. It subdued her a little, but Mister Barkin had no way of knowing that so she decided to stick with the facts.

Much calmer she finished. "Either way Ron, just be careful. You'd feel more guilty than any of us if anything did happen to Hana."

"Well said Ms. Possible, now if you'll excuse us I need to fill out a detention form."

"Great, why can't we just automate this and get it digitalized. E-mail format and save everyone the trouble of all the paperwork?" said Ron unthinkingly.

"Good thinking Stoppable, although I'm surprised _you_ of all people would want to make this process any easier. Still I've learned a good paper trail is invaluable. Wouldn't want your hacker friend erasing your detention records now would we?"

Ron groaned at opening his big mouth without thinking.

"Hey, I wouldn't get Wade to hack me out of detention." As he proclaimed his future innocence he wondered if there was some way of giving himself a clean slate.

_Barkin totally had it out for me, no one else could have noticed us flying up so quickly unless they were following us to begin with. _Ron thought mutinously. _  
_

"Ron, what about Hana? Who did you leave her with, Monique? Felix?" questioned Kim.

"I didn't see Monique, but Tara was close by so I asked her to watch over Hana while I got the form. She should still be there in front of the science room waiting."

Anticipating the spike of jealousy Ron quickly tried to defuse the possible Kimsplosion. "Easy KP, I was looking for you and got ambushed by Mister Barkin (-_g mad_ he mumbled)." He ignored the growl behind him with a gulp. He reached over to his girlfriend taking her hand, the maximum amount of PDA allowed risking pushing Barkins' anger up another notch in the process. "Would my Bondiggety girlfriend mind helping me out, by checking up on his little sister for him? I promise she'll find a sandwich with her name on it, in the supply bag if she does."

She grinned blushing a little at the noise from her stomach they both heard. "Alright Buster, you win this time, but hurry back and stay out of trouble this time!"

"Anything for my two favorite girls." he snapped a salute.

"POSSIBLE STOPPABLE if you two are quite done flirting and flaunting the school rules!"

"Gotta go KP, catch ya later."

"Me and Hana'll be waiting. Hurry up."

He flashed her another grin, before resolutely entering in front of Barkin. Kim sighed at her boyfriends propensity for spending after school hours in punishment, and made her way to the science room.

_Time to go see Tara._

_

* * *

  
_

Inside the empty science lab room.

"So T, what've you got there?" came the mocking voice.

"_Bonnie_? Bonnie! I was looking for you. I heard-"

"Easy Tara, I saw you earlier. We can talk after you introduce me to Stoppables' bratty sister." she motioned to Hana.

"Bonnie!" Tara squeaked in outrage. She did her best to cover Hana's ears. "You take that back, how could you be so mean to an innocent little girl?"

"_Please_, how innocent could she be? She's probably a pain in the butt like all the other children." Bonnie said defensively. "I still remember that one time you forced me into going with you to the daycare. I had to throw those shoes, and that dress away! It was brand new Country Club Banana!"

Bonnie mostly ignored Tara who was quivering with anger now, but doing her best to keep a lid on it since she didn't want to make Hana uncomfortable.

"I'll give the little brat one thing, at least she's not actually_ related _to Stoppable. Then she'd be a loser by default, now it's only by association _unless_ of course the rumours are true. Who knows, maybe she can even redeem the Stoppable name." Bonnie snarked.

"Bonnie, shut up."

"wha- What do you _MEAN_-"

"I said shut up." Tara ground out completely shattering her image. "Say what you want about Ron and Kim, they can take it and everyone else knows the truth even if you won't admit it. But I won't hear a single word about an innocent girl who's never done anything to you. You are my friend Bonnie, and I won't let you sink that low."

Taken aback by the unusually frosty attitude Bonnie wanted to argue, but huffed before settling down.

"Fine, the kid's off limits but what's so _great_ about her _anyway_? I heard half the school's in love with her now." she grumbled. "Probably another publicity stunt by Possible and her lapdog, '_look at us, we're Team Possible and we take in homeless children_.' **Please**, as if..." she broke off again at the fire in Tara's eyes.

"Sometimes, you make it really hard to stand up for you Bonnie, much less be your friend." Tara said in a small voice.

That one hurt. On top of Brick, now Tara. Everyone seemed to be turning against her lately.

"Well** fine**, if you don't want to be my friend then...w-who needs you anyway?" she shouted with a wave of her hands. "_Go_, you probably want to be Kim's friend instead right? Or do you just want to go have a chance to be close to Ron?" she continued to lash out with a bitter laugh.

Tara clenched her eyes shut. When she spoke again it was with a detached yet determinedly friendly voice, "Bonnie, you shouldn't just take your frustrations at home out on us. I _am_ you friend whether you believe it or not. I can't guarantee I'll always feel that way if you keep on hurting everyone, but I'd like to be."

Hana began to cry struggling against Tara.

"Oh no! Hana, I'm sorry. What's wrong?"

Bonnie glanced uneasily at the crying child who was upset about something. She usually enjoyed when she made someone cry, but this noise definitely made her uncomfortable. She was tempted to leave when Tara asked her to stay.

"I think it's a diaper change she needs." Tara nodded to herself reaching over to the kit.

Bonnie looked away as Tara got out a fresh diaper, making quick work of the changing experience. Apparently her time at the nursery had provided her with enough training that it was done within less than a minute. Hana seemed to recover after that, and was now looking around at the strange faces. Curious but unafraid.

"Could you stay and watch her while I throw out the old one?" Tara bit her lip as she asked, wrapping up the smelly diaper.

"What you'd just trust me with Stoppables little sister? C'mon Tar, even you can't be that nice." Bonnie replied snidely. "What makes you think I even want to watch her?"

"It'll only be a moment Bonnie. That and I know you aren't as bad as you seem all the time. Selfish, abrasive sure, but I know you're hurting too. Maybe taking care of someone else instead of yourself for a moment, will help you see that." Tara challenged the brunette.

_Sigh, this is what I get for having friends who are nicer than me. Better than apologizing I guess. _She thought already feeling bad about hurting Tara of all people.

"Fine, but make it snappy! Wouldn't want anyone catching me taking care of Kim and Ron's wannabe love child" she snorted.

"Thanks Bonnie."

"Don't mention it to anyone, ever. I mean it!"

Tara quickly exited to dispose of the diaper in a bathroom, leaving Bonnie alone with the little girl.

Tara had set Hana back into her chair strapping her in. It wasn't long before Hana had unshackled herself to explore the table.

"Woah, you little- Hey! You're supposed to stay in the seat." Bonnie began uneasily. Having no real experience with small children care. She quickly moved forward to block Hana off from anything dangerous on the table. Thankfully it wasn't one with a built in gas tap, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to make sure the kid didn't try licking her hands after crawling around (janitor or no janitor).

"Sea't!" exclaimed Hana picking up on a word she recognized. She beamed up at Bonnie expecting the usual shower of accolades Ron bestowed when she tried out new words. (At the very least there had to be a gum drop involved!)

Bonnie watched uneasily as Hana seemed to dim a bit at the lack of reaction. _What does she want a parade? _Still it was hard to resist feeling bad, seeing the little girl's smile dampen slowly.

She tried awkwardly patting Hana's hand feeling ridiculous as she did so. "Uh, good job there squirt."

Hana beamed back brighter this time. Bonnie was hard pressed this time not to feel good at the obvious way she could manipulate the little kid.

"Man talk about easy to impress." she groused smiling slightly.

Hana was a complete attention hog right now, and felt somehow her latest victim wasn't completely under her thrall. She resolved to fix that. Crawling over to the edge of the table where Bonnie was at, she stood up slowly for a hug.

Bonnie didn't quite recognize what was going on at first. _She'd better not be getting up to run. If she falls down or something Tara will kill me._

Seeing the lack of response Hana moved to crash herself against the older girl wrapping her arms around Bonnie's neck.

The cheerleader shocked herself by blushing.

"Okay that's just blatant kid. You can't do this when you grow up with guys." she complained. Slowly she returned the hug feeling the soft form against her, enfolding Hana tightly. She was rewarded with a giggle and the soft brush of Hana's skin and hair against her cheek.

"This is so not happening! You get away from me before I-" began Bonnie feeling weak and light headed all at once as she tried to put Hana at arms length.

"Pretty" said Hana seriously reaching up to pat Bonnie on the cheek.

She felt her heart melt.

"no, no,_ no, no_,_ no, **no**_, **NO**! You don't get to be all cute and all-" flustered Bonnie. She was the queen of the school, she was going to be articulate and firmly say no to Ron Stoppables ador-little sister. There was no way this little monster was going to turn her into-damnit!

She squealed giving in, hugging Hana back to her tightly after all no one was here. As she did so she felt her anger bleed out. Replaced by a slight euphoria and a sense of warmth.

_Maybe... just maybe if my sisters had been like this..._

She stiffened at the thought. She didn't feel like a sister to this little ball of fluff, but even she could tell she wouldn't want to hurt her. They weren't even related and she felt that way! Families weren't perfect, but from now on she was going to give up on being related to Connie and Lonnie even if only in her mind. As far as she was concerned, anyone who couldn't even show a fraction of concern that she had shown for – she bit back an angry gasp and a tear.

Hana heard the gasp and moved back a little curious at what the odd sound had been, as well as the hitch in Bonnie's chest.

Bonnie kept a tight leash on her hurt, nonetheless squeezed out two more tears before she felt in control again.

"Pre'tty?" asked Hana, tracing the tracks with one small finger.

"Not going to work twice you little monster. You tell _nobody_ you saw this okay?" she glared into the rounded eyes reflecting her face, grabbing the wandering hand brushing her face. "and...it's Bonnie." she admitted quietly.

"Bon-b'n! Pret'y!" Hana clapped.

"You're way too freaky you know that? Now c'mere, before Tara comes back and sees me being _nice_ to you. I'd _never_ hear the end of that one..." Bonnie could help but grin as she carried Hana back to her chair.

* * *

"Sorry Bonnie, I ran into Kim earlier so it took me a little longer to get back. Hana wasn't any trouble was she?" asked Tara wringing her hands slightly as she made her way over to the table.

"No, she didn't do much besides babble and stuff." Bonnie said dismissively.

"Isn't she a doll though? Cutest little girl I ever saw." Tara gushed.

"Yah-well... whatever. Look I'm going to go now, wouldn't want to catch any Stoppable germs or anything." she said brusquely stomping her way over to the door.

"You should probably go soon too T, 4th period is about to start." she cautioned Tara.

"Ron's going to be back any minute to pick up Hana, I'll head out once I've packed everything back in." Tara assured her.

Bonnie began to reach out to the doorknob when the door itself swung open to reveal a familiar red head. She was prepared for the usual torrent of bile to come surging up in the face of her rival, and felt uneasy(?) when it didn't.

_Guess even coming from a baby, being told you're pretty helps. Well it's just proof that my flawless good looks are recognizable even at a young age._ She thought haughtily. She did her best to ignore the other warm feelings that developed during her contact with the youngest Stoppable.

"Later, K." she waved in dismissal.

If Kim was going to make a jab at her subdued greeting now wasn't it.

"Bye, Bonnie." Kim replied equally subdued. For a moment as they crossed paths Bonnie thought she recognized some half hidden emotion in the other teens eyes, but dismissed it once she entered the hallway.

Later that day when she went home Connie and Lonnie Rockwaller would be surprised to find that their usual taunting of their youngest sister didn't have it's normal effect. There was a certain spring in her step that even their usual comments of brains and beauty didn't quite spoil. In fact unless they were mistaken, Bonnie barely even noticed them.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

feels like there's a little more left, but I felt like ending it here. Been writing this on and off for the last day or so and I'll probably come back to it to do some polishing. For now though here's the latest chapter.

Felt like there was some overlap with the Monique and Dr. Possible conversations, but hopefully there was sufficient differences. Anyway the day isn't over yet. More to come soon hopefully. Thanks for a thousand hits.

Hope you enjoyed it.

* * *

**Preview:** (in case you couldn't tell these are mostly completely made up- I just write something random that I think might be fun and see if it turns up when I write later :P)

Kim I'm serious there really is going to be a parade made up of students and teachers.

What's that got to do with Hana?

They're making her queen of the float! The


	6. SF: Senior Perks

**Days of Hana**

_**School Flowers Part 3**_

**by unwrittenaria**

* * *

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and its related everything belongs to its creators, the following stuff is non profit

* * *

Steve Barkin was a solider born and raised. He fought against life. No, perhaps that was unfair, it would be more accurate to say he fought against the chaos of life. Endlessly crusading against its permutations that infringed upon the order he had learned to see the world in.

Poor decisions and poor choices in the corps, first hand experience during his stint as a lieutenant had shown him how fool-headed orders without thought got people killed. That was his "education" and that was how he would apply himself in the school he found himself in. Rules were there to be obeyed or there were consequences. **Serious. **_Consequences__**.**_

In his years as an instructor at Middleton High there were few people he could not cow in some form or another. His presence in every facet of the school he sought to control, secured some way of implementing the regimented discipline and fear he enforced for the good of the students.

So it was that he discovered his enemy. The classroom. The influx of new minds to mold and shape. Then he felt it, a look that bored into him amongst these new recruits. He scanned the alert faces... there! Some new punk was giving him... it was a _look_.

It was like staring chaos into its gaping maw.

Barkin knew then, he had been put here to oppose this child. This incarnation of destruction and disorder.

_Cheese and crackers! How could the other children not sense it!_

It was right there written on his face for all to see. Left untouched who knew what kind of limitless anarchy could spring from that...that (he hesitated to acknowledge it as a) _child._

Well never let it be said Steve Barkin didn't rise up to a fight like an honourable American solider. He'd go down guns blazing if he had to, but one day he put an end to (he glanced at his name chart) Stoppable. _Ron Stoppable_. He grit his teeth, sending a glare back at the freckled youth.

Homework. Detentions. Pulling scheduling for his colleagues so he could handle all his classes. Whatever it took, Ron Stoppable would find himself... _outflanked _and_ outmaneuvered._ His only miscalculation was an anomaly no amount of intel could have prepared him for.

Kim Possible.

They were apparently best friends.

It made no sense, Possible was everything Stoppable was not. Order, discipline, ambitious, a real go getter, and a source of school pride. That she went out of her way to help Stoppable, while commendable wasn't something he understood at first. Later he suspected it was her own sense of obligation.

Perhaps, dare he suspect, she sensed it too? That uncontrollable chaos lurking underneath the facade of a perennial slacker?

Certainly it seemed she helped direct him, keeping his mind from its more devious possibilities: like bringing down the whole school system. God only knows what it would have been like taking him on alone.

He approved at least their dedication to helping the people of the nation and the world. He would certainly be willing to write a letter of recommendation to his old C.O. if they ever decided to go into the military.

Fast forward past a short lifetime of public schooling and a rivalry legendary even in comparison to the one shared amongst the two clashing Valkyries of Middleton high...

His opinion of Stoppable had...altered. Stoppable was still a scourge and a threat to the sanity and well being of the school district he was in charge of. His mind inadvertently cycled through a whole host of otherworldly horrors related or instigated directly by the hand of Stoppable himself. Even today at 0700 hours waking up he resisted the faint urge to scratch his neck for gills.

This truth was tempered by the knowledge that there was potential there. The chaos could be directed if not contained, and the results could be... _advantageous._ Especially if it resulted in chocolate cake like he had tasted all too long ago.

He'd fought hard against himself well aware that there were temptations offered by the _other _side. Some fool's definition of freedom that led to self destruction. It wasn't always easy upholding duty and obligation but by every stripe and banner he'd did it!

It was with a heavy brow that Mr. Barkin contemplated what to do with Stoppables' offer to set up a cookout stall on the roof. Once, he would have flat out rejected Stoppable requisitioning any form of supplies.

It was undeniable however, that his time spent in the company of Ms. Possible was a positive one on the lackadaisical young man. It certainly warranted further consideration.

The fact that he regularly counted on Stoppable in his position as running back gnawed at him at first. Well he would make do with what he had. A good soldier knew to husband his resources and work with what he was given. (It certainly helped that Ron made miracles on the field.)

(Subconsciously, Barkin might have an inkling that he pushed Stoppable extra hard in the hopes that if nothing else, some physical conditioning might be of benefit to his work out in the field. Damn shame if Possible failed because her teammate let her down. Lord knows they needed all the edges they could get.)

So once again it came down to a contest of wills. Chaos or order. It sounded so... _simple_ at first... a cookout with Stoppable at the grill cooking... what could go wrong? Others might have laughed, but Barkin knew better than anyone, perhaps save Possible that **EVERYTHING** could go wrong.

(Well not in the way it would if Possible herself were at the chef's helm, _nonetheless.)_

At any moment things would spiral out of control and at the end he'd be left standing with the ruins of a once proud establishment and a bevy of complaints from the PTA (which he had addressed far too much in his career).

He determinedly pushed Stoppable out of his mind. Then he had to choose which one to forget. The constant thorn in his side or the new smaller one who was proving equally persistent (mentally) if not quite as annoying.

_Definitely not proper behavior for someone in my position- finding a play toy? Must have been some kind of contaminant in the air... _he shook his head once more.

As pleasant as it might be to sit there at his desk and daydream about smiling faces and chocolate cake Barkin knew he had a duty.

He had papers to grade.

Somehow Stoppable had even found time somewhere to write a new assignment for the creative paper he had missed earlier.

It was lying there first on his stack of assignments. Oddly enough he hadn't seen Stoppable hand it in when he was in here for the detention, although he reasoned it was the only time he could have put it there.

_Must think he can hand in two assignments and average the two scores or add them together. _Barkin thought suspiciously.

He was worried, The Naked Mole Rap assignment had been stuck in his brain for almost a week after it had been presented. Once again the chaos laughed at him.

Well not this time.

_A Han Haiku: by Ron Stoppable_

Barkin groaned again fighting the urge to rest his head on his desk.

_Nothing to do but man up. _He lamented.

* * *

Zita Flores was on her way to her mathematics class when she caught sight of her fellow Everlot gamer.

"What's happening Felix?" she said flagging him down.

"Oh hey, Zita. Nothing much, heading to class. You?"

"Got math" she indicated with her textbook. "You gonna head out to the comic book store today?"

"Hm, wasn't planning to yet" he replied not noticing her deflate a little. "Ron says there might be a surprise today at the football field. Might check it out before I head home."

They both chuckled at what possible surprises there could be based on Ron's definition of the word.

"Sounds interesting, maybe I'll stick around too." she said hopefully tilting her head.

"Yah, that'd be cool." he agreed. "I'll see you there if you decide to stay. If not IM me later, might go for a raid tonight if my homework gets done." He winked at her, "If a certain she-warrior, of the ice mountain wielding the Sword of Elsinor doesn't mind partying with me."

"Sure thing Felix." she nodded in anticipation.

He waved over his shoulder while he rolled off to his class.

Zita sighed. It had been nice hanging out with Ron a few times. They just didn't have that much in common. He was a nice guy though and she'd found it fun to talk with him in Spanish, which he picked up freakishly fast after a couple of 'dates'.

By lucky coincidence she'd run into him with Felix at Bueno Nacho a few months ago. They'd gotten to talking for awhile before Ron was called up for a mission leaving them alone. She'd been astounded this cute guy gamed as much she did. They'd quickly gotten down to exchanging e-mails and user account names.

She knew she was crushing hard on the funny, self deprecating, and frighteningly intelligent cutie. His wheelchair issues were a non issue as far as she was concerned. It was nice to hang out with a guy who wasn't put off by her being a girl (problem with being friends with gamers who only hung out online), and at the same time didn't bust her for her hobbies (because he shared them unlike other normal dudes). It wasn't obvious, but perhaps because of his "issues" girls weren't exactly lining up to be with him (even if he had plenty of friends).

_Their loss. _She thought gleefully.

She was getting tired of waiting for Felix to make a move though. She'd been casually hinting at dates (a casual lunch) or gaming at her house with some dinner for at least a month now. They'd certainly quested a lot in Everlot. Felix often agreed and they had fun, but she felt like he was holding back a little. She could tell he was interested though he hid it better than Ron had.

_Especially_ _when he was buying tickets for every movie, which while sweet was still a little too weird. _ For her taste.

_Probably worried a girl wouldn't go for him._ She thought angrily back to the hottie with a flying wheelchair.

Either way she resolved to make it clear to Renton that she wanted to give it a shot. _Maybe this afternoon will change something_. She thought pushing the door to her class open.

* * *

The Queen terror of the Middleton High Food Chain was feeling unexpectedly mellow, whispers were passed around as she all but floated through the school. There were dire portents that all was not right in the world. Some say... (and here the words were repeated in hushed voices lest Bonnie's spies overheard, the more superstitious thought of lightning) some say that there was... _innocent laughter_ involved. *_Shiver*_

Something terrible and dire indeed, must await Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. Bets were hedged as to what truly unusual and cruel plot awaited the duo at the hands of the curvy brunette. It was well known by now that Kim Possible usually came out on top of whatever skirmishes she had with the Queen B.

Then again we were talking about _innocent laughter _from Bonnie. (People had been scouring lost and found for forgotten umbrellas ever since – what with the predicted rainfall of blood and all.)

So everyone despite possibly being late for class slowed down to a halt (in a way that doesn't seem like they're forming a crowd with lots of half steps, and veering to corners of peripheral vision) to witness: Ron Stoppable making his way on a collision course with the erstwhile cheerleader.

Breathing abated as they wondered what would happen now. Would the earth split and swallow up the clueless young man whistling a jaunty tune (of what must be the Ferret Theme Song).

Would Bonnie's eyes turn red searing the boy to ashes where he stood?

The universe seemed to stop rotating as everyone focused on the catastrophe happening right in front of them. (Those few who still had the presence of mind wondered what would happen to Kim when Ron disappeared, or perhaps more importantly what would happen to Bonnie.)

"Hey Bon-bon! You seen Tara around?"

(gasps were let out and then furiously silenced as the owners kept from alerting anyone to their presence. There could be collateral damage! One young freshman would be ashamed to admit he'd peed himself a bit from the tension and shock of Ron openly baiting a figure that was hellbent on destroying him.)

"Yah, I have... Stoppable"

(a dime could have dropped and people would have fled they were that keyed up)

Ron was confused at the shortness of Bonnie's answers (actually he wasn't, Bonnie was pretty monosyllabic if she wasn't insulting him). Rather the lack of disgust directed at him was parab- palpable! It was on par with her grudging acknowledgement of his mad survival skills at Wannaweep. He shivered.

"So uh... is she still at the science lab? I kinda left her to babysit Hana." he prodded.

(Ron was still alive? What is this madness!?)

"She's still there."

_Okay that was almost neutralish where Bonnie is concerned. I don't think I've ever gotten neutralish from her. _Ron thought worryingly. Also he was starting to notice the weird... tension going on around him. It was like everyone was looking...

"O-kay, nice talking to you Bon-bon. Thanks, I uh... gotta go!" he said hurriedly trying to escape the frog on a dissection table vibe he was getting.

"Hey loser-" she said as he went on his way past her, "uh, take care of your sister." she finished when he turned around.

_Okay that seemed normal, well at least the loser bit did. _

"Sure thing Bonnie. Although I was kinda planning on doing that anyway."

"Whatever." She seemed to recover from whatever was making her almost nice and with a sniff of disdain marched off.

Ron rubbed his neck at this, then looked down at Rufus.

"What is _with_ everyone today?"

Rufus could only shrug his shoulders in confusion. "**hmm' d'no"**

The boy and his naked role mat never noticed everyone around them collapsing at this rather anticlimactic show down as they strolled off.

* * *

"So Tara, how's it going with Jason?"

"He's great Kim." Tara said smiling. "He's taking me miniature golfing this weekend. I think Jason's trying to impress me."

"Ah miniature golf, I'd have gone with Ron, but-" she grinned sheepishly "we're both banned for another year."

"Really, what happened?"

"Really, mission got out of hand with the property damage. It was a ferociously bad game of golf with lasers and swords." She answered. "So not letting Ron play with royalty again."

Tara laughed a little behind her hand.

"Sounds exciting."

"It was until-"

"Ladies! Ron Stoppable is back with his detention slip, ready for more extreme babysitting action!"

Tara smiled while Kim rolled her eyes.

"Get any more detentions and you won't have _time_ for babysitting, Ron."

"Way to harsh my pretend mellow KP. Trying to keep it cool for sis here."

"I'm sure she'll understand, Ron." Said Tara laughing again.

Hana who had apparently rested enough leapt off the table into the waiting embrace of her "bra'dur"

"Hey Han. You'll back me up when you grow up right? Unlike all the other mean girls making fun of your big bro."

Hana seemed to give this due consideration. Then she stuck out her tongue impishly. Raspberrying was a skill bequeathed to her by a master of the art, Rufus himself. With perhaps some unintended tutoring via Ron and Kim in their more playful moments.

Ron knew there was only one response to this. He frowned before he began tickling Hana's neck. She clamped down her head to one side as much as she could squealing, trying to limit his finger movements.

"Oh yah the Ron-man knows the score! Let's see you stick your wittle tongue out at me now!" he crowed fingers darting on either side of a wiggling ecstatic Hana.

"Ron, don't you think you should be picking on someone your own size?" Tara teased.

"Already have, just ask Kim." he said focused on making Hana cry uncle (as it were). "Would have won too, if she hadn't cheated." he added off hand.

"So not Ron, I totally-" she said heatedly before noticing her audience. "-should be getting to class."

Taras' eyes danced a little before nodding.

"I'll see you three later at cheer leading practice."

"Three? Tara?" Kim asked the departing blond.

"It's coolio KP, I've got an announcement to make anyway. Might as well try it out on you and my old cheer squad first." Ron told her finally stopping his tickle attack. Hana was out of breath and dangerously high right now.

"Ron, this isn't going to be like your announcement to petition for a _TV Trash Heap_ course right?"

"Hey! Stuff on Fire is a quality program with far reaching cultural and social commentary on today's society! It totally deserves more academic research."

"As I recall those petitions were set on fire, so you've made your point."

Ron waved the pesky logic away. _"_The_ point_ is, no, that's not what my surprise announcement is about."

He imitated Drakken for a moment shaking his finger at her. "For that sass talk, you're going to have to wait to find out my secret plan, _Kim Possible_." The effect was somewhat ruined by Hana tweaking his nose.

She grinned. "Shouldn't have picked Drakken if you didn't want to be foiled, and the lippy teen hero comes free."

"You think you're all that Kim Possible... and you are." He said turning into himself at the end.

Her smile sweetened. "Ooh, I think I'll keep you... Hana." she said with relish taking the little girl.

Ron pantomimed a dagger in his heart. "Ouch. Goes to show you what-" he stopped noticing she was within kissing distance.

"Luckily it seems like you come with a pretty weird brother." She smiled leaning in obscuring Hanas' view, while closing her eyes.

~_RRRIIIIINNNNGGGGGG_~

She felt piqued at the interruption, and she heard Ron suck in a tight breath at the bell.

Second bell! She was going to be late! Ron understood and moved over to take Hana back. "Better go Kim! Wouldn't want to be late for class with Mr. B." while he picked up the bag.

She sighed before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "See you at practice?" She asked hopefully.

"You know it Kimila."

"Bye Hana."

"Bye-by' 'Im" waved Hana with one hand, tiny fingers outstretched.

* * *

**Wade Load Residence**

"Hey Wade."

"Ron! What's up? Need me to track down another shipment of baby running shoes?" asked the young tech guru.

"Nah, that last batch should hold out a little longer. I was calling about another kind of favor."

"Uh Ron, does Kim know about this?"

"Not yet, Wade-o I'm trying to keep it a surprise. First though, I need an analysis on the schools structural integrity. Specifically the roof and whether I could get a small dining establishment of the grilling variety up there."

"Chez Ronald opening up again?" Wade grinned typing.

"Big plans my friend, Mister B said he'd give it a whirl with the parent teacher types." Ron affirmed. "I'm going to try drumming up support after school. Figure I can use Hana to get some good publicity."

"Okay got it! Good news Ron, as long as there isn't more than about about 50 people up there at once, there should be no danger of any damage or weight support issues. I've factored in furniture and cooking equipment and it should be doable. I'll send a printout of the statistics to Kim's lockers."

"You're a number crunching machine Wade!"

"I try." he said with a smug smile. "Anything else Ron?"

"One last thing, could you get me a short outline of getting a permit and the regulation and rules for a joint like mine?"

"Not taking any chances of another Rufus mishap?"

"I'll have him stick to assigning tables this time."

"I've streamlined everything as much as I can, but this is still a lot of stuff. You going to be able to read through all of this?" Wade quirked an eyebrow slurping.

"No worries dude. I've got a brainy GF who'll explain anything I don't understand. I also hear she has a genius on call." He grinned.

"Haha tell Kim I'll keep her posted if anything hits the site. Later Ron, Hana."

"Thanks again Wade."

* * *

Class passed depressingly slowly for the red head. It wasn't much help that Ron didn't share any of the classes with her after lunch today so she had to wait until cheer practice to see him.

She did her best to concentrate on her note taking and was relieved to find thoughts of Ron and Hana and any "trouble" they could get into during the last two blocks were few and far between.

_Amp down Possible, they're probably having a good time._

She still quickened her pace to the lockers to get changed. Might as well get practice over with soon.

_Hmm, now I wish I hadn't devised a new routine for the squad to learn. _Which wasn't true.

She knew the new cheer was even better than the old one, tailor made to play to the teams' strengths, and unless Upperton really stepped up their game it would most def mean Regional (if not State). She had no intention of having her last year be the one that broke the Middleton reign she helped usher in.

Waving to a Jessica and Liz she stepped out after putting her bag away in the lockers. She warmed up with a few flips and stretched, holding the yellow pom-poms.

Today was one of the practices out on the football field that happened recently. Scheduling with other clubs meant they were on gym rotation, so every now and then they shared the field with their football counterparts.

She smiled a bit at the way Ron got tackled a few more times whenever she did her routines, but that was better than some of Ron's tackling buddies.

_It worked to our advantage though. Most of the players know now that if they want to impress, it's better if the girls aren't laughing at them when they get laid out for staring. _

_Maybe that focus will translate into our games._ She thought analytically._  
_

_(_Not that it helped when Hope and and Bonnie went out of their way to tease the football player's with some coquettish posing. Or when the rest of the cheerleaders laughed flirtatiously at any of the jocks screw ups...)

Finally, the rest of the squad had gathered around and everyone was accounted for. She quickly got them into position demonstrating what she wanted them to do, and explaining the rhythm and tone of the cheer.

Once they had the basics down she'd break out the music and get them in time with the song. Usually at this point of the practice, it was usual for Bonnie to begin complaining about her position, Kim's role, and anything else she could think of. When she didn't Kim and the rest of the team breathed a cautious sigh of relief. Bonnie had had good days before, and they all knew to take advantage of it, since it never lasted the week.

Deciding it was a good chance she walked over to her rival.

"Hey Bonnie, I was thinking..."

"What K? I wasn't screwing up!" she said defensively.

Kim held a hand up to ease the tanned girl.

_Okay so the truce from earlier is over, but Bonnie still seems less Bonnie-ish than usual. Let's give it a shot._

"Easy B, I just thought since you got your part down.... so for the finale I'd like you to try being at the top."

She was careful not to show how much saying this cost her. It went against her instincts to let Bonnie have anything, but it'd been proven she was capable before. Kim could freely admit now that Bonnie was second in terms of skill on the squad.

_Well maybe that's not the _only_ reason I'm trying to be nice now. If it's weirding me out, Bonnie's definitely freaking. _She thought with amusement looking at Bonnie who was trying to determine what the angle was.

Bonnie's face showed a mixture of confusion and distrust like she was about to approach a skunk or dangerous snake.

"What's the deal, _Kim?"_ She said unable to see the trap. _  
_

"Nothing B. You got your part down, and I might have to run off for a mission at some point. Best to have someone capable of filling in for me who knows the moves." she replied honestly.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense..." she said still waiting.

"You're best for the job Bonnie." Kim admitted after it seemed like everything else would just result in more distrust.

_A little flattery that's technically true doesn't hurt anyone I guess?_

"Huh? O-Of course I am! Finally recognizing where I belong now Kim?" she said building up her own confidence with every word.

"Sure Bonnie." Kim said turning around to roll her eyes. _Well I tried._

Doing so let her catch sight of the red turtleneck stark against the purples and greens of the field.

"Ron!" she called out waving to her BFBF.

"Uh Kim!" she looked at Bonnie who seemed consternated she had called out. "Thanks." she finished awkwardly.

Kim smiled. "No problem B. Like I said I need a backup, and you deserve it."

_Couldn't just roll over for her after all._

Bonnies' face melted back into her usual cocky smile. "I'll be more than backup soon K, count on it." She declared before heading back to practice Kim's part.

"Yo KP, Bonnie troubles?" Ron cast a glance at the retreating brunette.

"Not today Ron." she smiled.

"Weird, she was all different with me earlier."

"_Different?" _Kim narrowed her eyes at her partner. "What do you mean different?"

"Well she wasn't calling me names for starters." he clarified. "That ain't exactly the Bon-Bon we all know and don't really love. In fact... it was bordering on accepting for her. Sure your weirdar isn't acting up around her?"

"Relax Ron, I think Bonnie might be having a good day." she mused.

"So she's been having the worst string of bad days in the history of teen-hood?"

"Not so much Ron." She hid her smile. "Never mind that, what's your big announcement? Can it wait till practice ends?"

"Yah that's a great idea. I need to talk to Mr. B and the team too."

As he wandered off leaving Kim to go back to spotting positions and routines, she couldn't help but wonder what announcement involved both the cheerleaders and the football players.

Then she began to notice the slow trickle of students coming into the stadium. Not many but enough for there to be a small crowd. She noticed Felix, Monique, and even Zita in the stands.

_What is Ron up to?_

* * *

Monique was in an odd position of being with people she knew since they were friends of her friends. She knew Felix but hadn't spent much time with him since they generally attended different classes, and beyond a few lunches at the cafe didn't really hang out casually. Zita she recognized as Ron's old "ex" if you could call it that.

She'd laughed at the time when Ron had chosen to hang out with Zita instead of Kim resulting in a minor rant on Kim's part.

_So oblivious back then. _ She thought without having the heart to spell it out for her. _Then again Ron wasn't much better. _

Zita certainly looked good and she could tell why Ron had been attracted to the girl.

_That outfit certainly seems to be trying to get someone's attention, not enough to be too obvious but... how well it's working is debatable. _She mused guessing Zita was interested in Felix.

Felix chatted with the two easily enough though he had more in common with Zita. Like Ron, fashion was never a big thing for him, but he could definitely appreciate Monique's style.

Zita was a little self conscious since she wanted to take advantage of this rare chance to spend time alone with Felix. That and Monique had struck her as kind of stuck up with her self proclaimed fashion maven status. She knew enough about Kim and Ron to know they wouldn't be good friends with someone like that, but couldn't help her own first impressions.

_That or I'm getting defensive about Felix. _ She worried.

Monique seemed to pick up on Zita's distrustful air and when Felix spotted Ron talking to Barkin, grinned and winked at her with a nod at Felix.

Zita caught the motion and blushed. She felt a distinct weight off her chest. Monique was pretty and well liked, she'd prefer a lack of competition but she'd fight it out tooth and nail if she had to. After all she wasn't in the top 10 Everlot players in the world because she laid down when challenged.

The blush was obvious enough to Monique and she resolved to do her best to help.

_The things I do for my friends._

With a slightly exaggerated wave at Kim she caught Felix's attention.

"I think I saw Kim wave at me, I'm going to head down to my girl for a minute. I'll be back soon, be good you two." She gave another rather obvious wink at Zita who smiled in response, and a finger tip wave to Felix, before making her way down to where the cheerleaders were.

They were actually fairly high up since Felix had given both of them a lift. Still within a minute she was down on the field, and now that she was down there she realized she did have something to ask Kim about.

"Hey GF!" she called shouting a little to make herself heard.

Kim was actually setting up the tape again for another run through, before her best girl friends voice cut through the chattering crowd.

"Monique?"

"Over here!"

She looked around zeroing in on the bright red dress and wavy black hair.

"Be with you in a minute Mo." She signaled to Bonnie to keep practice going. Then she caught Tara's eye who gave her a thumbs up. Squad business dealt with she moved closer to the stands.

"Hey BGF, whats the sitch with the fans?"

"You don't know Kim? Seems like during the last two periods Ron went around with Hana to all the senior classes telling them about a big announcement." She motioned to the body of students waiting "This is them."

"He did mention a big surprise earlier. I remember catching him with Barkin about-"

"**ATTENTION! SETTLE DOWN PEOPLE. WE'VE GOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT AND YOU WILL ALL PAY ATTENTION. You have the floor Stoppable."** Mr. Barkin stepped aside letting Ron take center stage.

**"SENIORS OF MIDDLETON HIGH!"** boomed Ron's voice augmented by a bullhorn.

Kim looked away from Monique to concentrate on her boyfriend. Who she saw was standing on a small podium surrounded by the football team in full regalia backed up by Barkin.

**"I had a dream."** he began.

The crowd hushed a bit, although a few still laughed. Ron's face had blazed forth on the display screen used for scoring points.

_Wade's work_. Kim thought incredulously.

**"That dream began as a lowly freshman, everyday at lunch I would_ gaze_. Yes, _gaze_ upon the glory that was the Senior table."** he continued solemnly.

Kim's eyes goggled. Was this what she thought it was?

**"That senior table was haloed back then, it was a goal. A beautiful proof of expensive high class fare and curious school budgeting, but beautiful nonetheless."**

Everyone got a little misty eyed at this appeal to their memories. Kim suspected she saw Bonnie sniffle a little but she was too dazed at what was happening.

**"I tell you now it was a strike to _freedom_, _democracy_, and everything good the day we lost the Senior Menu. That menu was our badge of _honour_, _vindication_ of our time spent working hard to be where we are TODAY."** He thumped his hand on a podium that seemed to appear from nowhere on the last word.

"TINTBB..." Kim heard what she thought must be Monique but her surroundings were hazy now.

_This is not to be believed, is right..._

"**Now I agree that S.K.I.P. is a good program. If nothing else it's given birth to the Mad Dog Puppies.**" As if on cue Jim and Time burst out drooling foam and doing a quick routine before flanking Ron.

_The Tweebs too?!_

"**However, I feel as should every _free thinking_ senior that we need not compromise! _WE CAN HAVE BOTH_! And that is why today, I am here to bring back a piece of that glorious legacy.**" He gave a sweeping motion with his hands pointing at the entrance gate.

In time with his wave the entire defensive line (and some of the offensive) of Middleton High came in groups of two with a long white table between each set.

There were plates all across the 15 or so tables that Kim counted. One of them seemed to be comprised completely of tableware. Finally Barkin and the rest of the team brought in large garbage cans.

The crowd was reaching a fever pitch of anticipation. Some of them had guessed or suspected what was about to happen. Nobody wanted to say anything in case it ruined the dreamlike scenario they were being presented with.

Throughout his speech Ron was in control and serious. At long last he cracked a smile.

"**_I declare_**... **DEATH TO MYSTERY MEAT**!" he hollered one hand with the bullhorn pumped in the air.

Miles away at the Middleton Space Center Dr. Possible wondered if some kind of rocket had been launched by accident.

Kim gasped in amazement as the largest cheer she had ever heard in all her years swelled up threatening to shake the stands.

**"CAN I GET A _BOO-YAH!_?**" Ron cried playing the crowd.

"**BOO-YAH! BOO-YAH! BOO-YAHHHHH!**" The young man's motto echoed like a living thing.

"**Right now we're going to give you guys a little taste of some badical grillage if I do say so myself, prepared by yours truly.**"

He had to pause as there were more cheers threatening to drown him out.

"**If you like what you eat, we'd like you to carefully throw away your dirty dishes and sign your names on our petition form. If everything pans out this time next week we'll have a little restaurant on the roof of the school ready to serve to your higher catering needs! And in light of its namesake we're even going to have a special Asian dish everyday with limited orders. Here's hoping I'll see you at the grand opening of **_**Hana**._"

He grinned wider reaching down to take the noise canceling headphones off Hana before lifting her up Lion King style to the cheering masses.

The chanting and clapping seemed to double if that was possible. From the podium Ron's Kimmunicator broadcasting, captured the little Japanese girl smiling in appreciation of all her fans. (There was a lot of chanting for _Hana _now, though whether it was the restaurant or the baby no one could be sure.)

"Boo'-ya!" She declared in fine Stoppable form.

Kim was past caring now and she tore down the field dropping her pom poms. She knew that there were plenty of other people racing for the tables, and would later register shock that a few of them had even outrun her.

Nobody noticed her turn towards the podium.

"Ron!"

"Hey KP. What'd ya' think?"

Faced with the dual grins of both Stoppable siblings and the scrambling mass of humanity behind her Kim was for once without a witty quip.

"What? How? You-?"

His face clouded over slightly. "I'm really sorry Kim. I was going to name the restaurant after you, but you were already getting all the food titles. I figured it was only fair I share the love."

"That's incredibly sweet Ron, but-" she flopped her hand uselessly.

"Oh, don't worry I saved a few of each of the meals back here in case there are stragglers or teachers who came in late. Here have some _Steak de Kimberly."_

Kim's eyes almost crossed at the piece of juicy red meat browned and spiced to perfection with delicious crunchy burnt bits littering its surface, appearing suddenly in front of her. That there were some vegetable side dishes and even some (japanese?) rice on the side was a mere bonus. Ron passed her both a set of chopsticks and the more conventional fork/knife/spoon combo. She tore her gaze and rapidly drooling mouth away from the meal to give him a question delivered straight from her eyes.

"Barkin said I could make it a point that this was a part of my cultural exchange program. I've promised to include some more traditional Japanese style cooking into the meals, get some Japanese furniture stylings etc. The Rondo is a regular culture exchanger- er."

"Ambassador Stoppable, its ambassador." Barkin sighed in despair.

"Ron this is-" she bit into the steak unable to resist any longer. "_incredible_. You are such a ferociously good cook Ronnie."

Ron blushed, Kim never called him Ronnie unless he did something really good. He could count on one hand the number of times he heard that particular endearment from her.

"I'll say Ron." came a honeyed voice as Monique made her way over to the little group. "Tell me you've got some of that left over for me?" she pouted with fierce determination.

"Gah- Monique? What is the deal with every girl I know learning that thing?" He cried closing his eyes. Reaching blindly he handed her a plate.

"Some of us can recognize cause and effect. Monkey see monkey do and all that." she taunted safe now that she had a meal in her hands. She had tried to get to some of the tables (each table in one of the three rows was labelled with what kind of food it contained. Steak, Chicken, Salmon, and some kind of Japanese Vegetarian fusion style dish.) needless to say every table was swarmed within moments.

She ignored the need for the full defensive line to maintain order from the thronging crowd pushing for food.

Barkin had agreed with the plan because he knew it would be good training.

_Need to watch Stoppable more carefully from now on_. He thought darkly to himself. Then he ate some more of his steak and promptly forgot to think any more.

While Kim and Monique competed to see who could eat the fastest without doing a Ron impression, Ron noticed the familiar whine of advanced propulsion jets.

"Felix buddy glad you could make it! Zita?"

The wheelchair had barely touched down on the podium (which was getting really crowded now) when the feisty Mexican girl leapt off Felix's lap. She was in Ron's face speaking blistering Spanish before smacking him in the back of the head.

Ron paled, spoke a few words of halting Spanish back before opening up a plate of chicken in appeasement. Zita who had crossed her arms and spun around ignored the peace offering, until the smell curled around reaching her. She muttered another few choice invectives against Ron before grabbing a fork and biting down savagely.

Ron was torn with apprehension when she lunged at him kissing him on the cheek before slapping him on the other side.

By now everyone else was openly staring, food forgotten (mostly.)

"Zita?" trembled Felix.

"Sorry! Felix, I just forgot myself for a moment baby." Zita cried out, making her way back to her hero. There were more jaws dropping as she sat down on his lap kissing him soundly on the mouth.

"Okay, is it just me or did we get sucked up by the Pan-Dimensional-Vortex-Inducer into an episode of Agony County?" Said Ron sorely rubbing his cheek.

"Ron, explanations. Now."

"Short story KP. Zitas' mad at me. She fell down after she was shoved a few times in the stands when everyone rushed for the food. Felix caught her in the air from being trampled. She kissed him. They're going to go out now. Came down to give me a piece of her mind for endangering her life over some food. Offered said food. You saw her reaction and she accused me of brainwashing her. Warned me off, now we're good." he said summarily.

"Hey Ron," Felix grinned "-don't kiss my girlfriend." His smile could light up a dark room. It got wider when Zita leaned in to whisper in his ear. "It seems like I-we have to go now, but before we do, I'd like to try some of that salmon buddy."

Ron gave the two a thumbs up. "Rufus, Salmon to go!"

"**A'yup" **The little pink role mat carried a plate over to the new couple.

"Thanks Rufus." Felix tipped his head picking up the plate. With Zita wrapping her hand around his neck securely, he waved at the rest of the group before they flew off.

"Way to play match maker." Monique teased.

"Ain't no thing Mon, The Love Doctor is in the house!"

"I was talking about Rufus." She smiled.

"Hmph, everyone be hatin' but we know better. Won't we Hana." he declared setting her on her favorite perch, riding his shoulders, straddling his neck, so she could look over his head.

Hana of course began to play drums kicking her heels to get Ron to move faster.

"Ow! Hana! Bad sister!"

"C'mere Doctor of Love..." Kim grinned rolling her eyes at the two of them. She reached up with her hand to cover Hana's eyes while she kissed Ron uncaring who saw her. Mr. Barkins' PDA restrictions or not. (She had of course forgotten about the Kimmunicator that kept right on rolling. Miles away a Slurpster and monitor were sprayed with a light mist as a 10 year old genius caught sight of his feed.)

Hana of course peeked between the fingers and laughed sharing in the love and joy of the moment.

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Okay uh again lots of things that I never got to and well who knows maybe looking back over it I'll add or subtract stuff. Either way here's the 6th chapter and the last part of Hana's school outing. Hope it was as fun for you as it was for me.

Next time we get something slightly different. Perhaps our first hint of the long arc of the story? We'll see where the chapter takes me.

As always hope you enjoyed it and the fluff didn't drown you :P.

Thanks for the faves, reviews, alerts, etc.

* * *

**Preview:**

Ron I think it's really about time we went back to Yamanouchi.

We?

Ron there's a couple of things I'd like to ask Sensei?

About Hana?

About YOU!

* * *

**Omake:**

1)

Later Kim would find out he had shown Hana around to the delight and irritation of the student body and its teachers. Apparently, everyone had shown up when he had visited classrooms telling the seniors there was big news at the football field, preying on their desire to see more of the baby girl that had captured the hearts and minds of the entire school....

2)

"Don't get me wrong Ron, I am ferociously proud of you for what you did here today. Everyone is. Some of us perhaps a little too much..." Kim growled at all the girls who were definitely getting a little too friendly about their thanks for what was admittedly not a normal meal. Still Ron's ideas about having the cheerleaders help out with waitressing in return for credits, and some special meals every lunch was...troublesome. She'd have to go over the candidate process when they did.

"Easy Kim."

She smiled guiltily caught out again. "Ron, your speech was great. But uh- somehow it didn't feel like your usual Essential Ronness speeches to me."

"That's my KP! Can't get anything past you can I? I wrote some of it and got Wade and Rufus to chip in. Figured I wouldn't want to mess up my sales pitch with everything that's riding on this. Besides I've got a sure fire victory card in play."

She smirked. "Hana?"

"Don't be dissin' the Hana, this little baby is worth her weight in Nacos! I could sell anything with her riding on my shoulder. You should have seen the way-"

"Yes, Ron?"

"He-he-er well the thing we should be focusing on is KP this will totally get me extra credit for college. It could be great for my resume and transcript, especially if I do decide to do a culinary program."

She softened her inquisitive gaze at this. "Hey Ron, I told you before right? No matter what happens with the college sitch we'll work on it together." She smiled reassuringly.

"I know KP. Just hope this helps. That and any extra moolah we make off this little venture, assuming it gets off the ground goes to our senior trip and dance."

"Most def proud of you Ron, you'll find out just how much in another minute..." she said smiling a little seductively.

"One more thing though Kim." He said earnestly.

"What is it Chef Ronald?"

"Technically even though I called it the Senior Menu it's more like the Senior discount. Seniors get early booking and reservations and a bigger discount than the freshman, sophomores, and juniors. It kinda works out since the lower grades get less money to begin with anyway, but it's not a hierarchy we're going to be running here. More like a restaurant with Senior perks.

"My man fighting against the food chain huh?"

"Never be normal right?" He challenged with a confident smile.

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about qualifying for that title for awhile, Ron." she leaned in again.


	7. Every Riddle is an Answer: Other Shoe

**Days of Hana**

_**Every Riddle is an Answer.**_

**By unwrittenaria.**

**

* * *

  
**

Disclaimer: nothing below be it names or anything else belong to me. This is a work of fan-fiction.

Here we go...

* * *

It had been a long week following Ron's announcement of his plan to set up a cookout stand on the roof of MHS. Whether it was longer for Ron waiting to find out whether it would be approved by the PTA, or the students who were forced to endure another weeks worth of cafeteria food after the delicacies sampled on the field was an academic question at best.

Anticipation ran high, and the rest of students who hadn't been invited for the pre-tasting were getting downright sour about their lack of participation. Ron had hastily explained when cornered that there were limited supplies so all they could support was the senior class for taste testing. This years freshman of course weren't aware of the legendary Chez Ron that opened before they got in. All they could get out of their peers were sighs and glassy eyes of longing. By all accounts it looked like a booking was going to be something worth fighting for.

Even today, there were a few cheers and more than a few shouts of "Death to Mystery Meat!" as a popular slogan for the restaurant when Ron walked around. A few even asked if Hana was going to show up as a guest from time to time.

Ron who had been mostly looking forward to a little cooking and making some cash for the school was slightly out of sorts with all the attention. Kim being proud of him was a great motivator but the looks he was getting from some of his new "fans" was making him weary.

_Don't think KP would appreciate they way Penny Stanchuck's been batting her eyes lately... _ he thought with a lump in his throat. _I think I've even caught the staff being nicer... _he shivered at the goosebumps of a relatively mellow Barkin.

It had gotten out of hand after a while to the point where he had fashioned a mask with his movie star make up kit to get around crowd free. Kim was amused for about a few days laughing (while secretly proud of her man) at Ron's plight, before she got annoyed that she couldn't find time to spend with him.

They were forced to go up to the roof if they wanted privacy (and if Ron wanted to get some air outside of class). As Ron would be partially in charge, he had the keys for the door leading to the roof. It had been cordoned off for investigators and inspectors to see that it matched up with safety standards. Wade had everything coordinated and the process would be relatively painless once they got the OK from the board.

Thankfully it was Friday today and tomorrow Barkin had promised to call up a meeting with the school board to discuss the merits of _Hana _opening. One way or another, come Monday morning things would settle down.

Kim had not dragged Ron up to talk about the restaurant though. They had discussed it at length during a few night calls, and on and off at Bueno Nacho. Her natural Kimness meant she wanted to help plan and run the operation. She'd already had a few ideas for decorations and lay outs. Of course she was also in charge of picking the waiters and staff as well. Ron wisely left it mostly up to her, with only some minor creative choices he wanted implemented. They meshed well and they had a working proposal (mostly done up by Kim with touches of Ron) in time for tomorrows meeting.

Sadly, Kim decided they might not be there to present it themselves.

_No worries, Wade could always use a 3D presentation or record a hologram to be played back. Besides, after seeing Mr. Barkin eating his share of steak, I think we won't have to worry about convincing the committee. _She thought with a grin.

"You're smiling so it must be good news right?" said Ron staring at her.

"School's going well, the proposal is done, and I've got my BFBF heading up what might be the most spankin' food joint in the Tri-City school network." She smiled a little wider. "I'd say things are going pretty well."

"Yah, that's right!" He bubbled with enthusiasm. Then he started to frown. "Not good KP. This is when the other mitten drops isn't it? Murphy's Rule or something or other. Things are going too well!"

She rolled her eyes. She reached over to hug him around his neck. "Sheesh, melodramatic much, Ron? Something doesn't always have to go wrong."

"Kim, do you even ever watch TV or movies anymore? What were you thinking?" Ron said in horror forcing her back. "That's like the secret cheat code to life sending you a rain of monkeys!"

"Amp down Ron, I'm pretty sure I can't jinx us that easily. And it's a shoe, not to mention Murphy's Law not rule" She corrected him. "That said we do need to talk."

"Oh man, breaking up with me? See totally called it! Other shoe-" he said with a twitch of his lips.

_He's making fun of me!_

She kissed him knowing there was no one around to tell her otherwise, and to wipe the smug twitch-laugh away.

"Oh, so now you're just going to keep me around for kisses? Wait it's cuz of Hana isn't it? You just want me around so you can play with my little-"

_Funny just half a year ago I'd probably have growled at Ron and his antics, although this feels much better. _Kim thought forced to obstruct Ron's mouth again.

"If you're quite done Mr. Stoppable." she said pinching his ears.

"Ow- c'mon KP." he complained trying to bat her hands away with limited success. "So, uh... what do '_we'_ have to talk about?"

She motioned for him to join her away from the door. "I was thinking Ron, I'd really like for you and me to go to Yamanouchi. I have a couple questions for Sensei."

"Oh-uh Kim..." he rubbed his neck nervously. "I'm not sure what the etiquette is with visiting Yamanouchi. It ain't exactly like they handed out monthly passes when I left last time."

She understood his reticence, she suspected that Mystical Monkey Power and its ties to both Monkey Fist and Yamanouchi were linked in Ron's mind. He didn't shy away from the ninja school or its members, but at the same time after learning what went on when he had gone for a cultural exchange a year ago, Kim had drawn some conclusions.

_He didn't mention anything about his "heroics" there at all, all the way until Yori showed up again and I forced them to spill. Ron can keep secrets, but that was pretty impressive even for him. Maybe even a little too impressive. _Kim thought reluctantly. Ron may have been maturing but that lack of big-headiness wasn't something he learned until recently.

_He didn't slip at all, and that tells me my best friend was afraid of talking about it just a little. He's not comfortable with the MMP and until recently that was fine, but there's something going on now with him and his "powers." We should find out whether it'll be a problem. To say nothing about it's effect on Hana. _

She thought silently for a moment trying to order her thoughts into a verbal argument she could convince Ron with to agree with her.

"Ron if you can't bring me along... that's okay. I just think you need to go see Sensei and ask him what the sitch is with your..._ abilities." _She pointed out the wristband he kept mostly hidden under his sleeves.

He pulled his sleeve down reflexively before looking back up guiltily.

"Ron I'm still not sure what is up with you and the new _things_ you can do. But I'm worried about how you'll handle it."

"H-hey KP, c'mon it's cool! No need to be so seri-" Ron tried to joke.

"What could it do to Hana? We need answers Ron, and the only way is through Yamanouchi since for once Wade can't just hack his way in." she continued firmly.

They both shared a small smile at the thought of something Wade couldn't just research online (legitimately or otherwise).

"Not fair using Hana." He complained.

"I don't want to Ron! Do you really want to take that chance?"

"No! But wouldn't Sensei have left me some kind of warning? Given us another spirit visit or something if he was worried?" Ron tried again.

"Maybe, but we have no way of finding out without talking to him!" she answered exasperated. "I'll come if you want me to, but I'm not going to take chances with your life, or Hana's." Eyes resolute locked on his.

Ron knew when he was beat. "Okay, back to Japan it is. Do we bring Hana? When should we go?" It was go time, and Ron treated it like a typical mission.

Kim was glad he'd come around so quickly. She was worried she'd have to argue for the whole weekend before Ron would comply.

"Let's go after school. We both need to check with fam, and pack an overnight bag just in case." she started outlining their schedule. "I hate to say it, but we should probably bring Hana with us in case they have some way of testing your powers effect on her."

Ron nodded rather reluctantly at this.

"I'll contact Wade and set up a ride. I'll give you a call once Wade has something set up."

Ron still looked worried so she took his hand doing her best to reassure him. "Hey cheer up Ron, we're doing this so nothing happens to Hana."

"I know KP, I know..." he gripped her hand tightly looking out over the roof.

It seemed all too short a time before they had to head back to class.

* * *

**Wade Lode Residence**

Wade had a bit of a conundrum (and you could bet if he did, anyone else would have been scratching their heads giving up).

There was one foreseeable problem to Ron's idea for a grill joint on the roof. The weather. They'd manage to get some super light materials leftover from the Middleton Space Center that he'd re-worked to be collapsible and relatively compact. The tarp as well was space worthy and would hold up to rain no problem. All the same, he'd been curious as to whether _Hana _(he gave a grin at how wrapped up Ron was in his little sister.) would be at the whim of weather.

What had him more worried was when he had brought it up with Ron.

Who had promptly suggested Wade try: "reverse engineering the Mega Weather Generator I, okay the evil me, built so that it negated bad weather."

While Wade winced at the gross butchering of the terms "reverse engineering" by Ron, the idea behind it was sound. What's more it wasn't something Wade had considered at all.

Upon further study into the Mega Weather Generator he was quite astonished by the sheer level of complexity of the machine. It was like the intelligence beam all over again. Wade could certainly build it, even reduce it to a compact size suitable for the roof, but he'd have had trouble building something like this from scratch.

_Just what went on when the Attitudinator shot Ron?_

As the budget planner of the venture he was running calculation costs for food and supplies, he'd have to re-access the costs of the energy needed to run the generator during lunch hours. They had lucked out with the kitchen supplies. Somehow there were a whole host of cooking utensils completely unused by the cafeteria lady. (Anyone who ate there would have no trouble believing there were whole portions of the cafe kitchen unused.)

They could simply re-arrange a lot of the materials existing, into a prep room of sorts for Ron's restaurant.

He was about to start running the numbers for a second joint in the old Home Ecc. room (he estimated the current supply and demand at the prices they were charging weren't going to be anywhere near enough) when one of his monitors flashed.

"Hey Kim. Ron." he addressed Team Possible.

"Wade I need you to get us a ride to Japan as close to Yamanouchi as possible."

"Yamanouchi? Did you guys run into ninjas or something?"

"No Wade, this is a private visit. We've got some concerns..." she pleaded with him not to ask any more.

_Private sitch, gotcha Kim. _He nodded understanding without pressing.

"I'll see what I can set up." Wade said turning back to his main monitor opening up a running list of favors owed and repaid.

That should do. Normally they'd have traveled in Kim's car but they'd have to leave it behind before entering Yamanouchi anyway. It bugged him that all his readings and scans failed when they entered the general area before seemingly dropping off the grid entirely only to reappear suddenly.

"Okay Kim, I think I've got a ride you can use. You'll have to head to the airport for pickup though. They'll drop you off where Ron got off last time."

"That's fine Wade. Give me a beep when it's ready?"

"You got it Kim."

"Rockin' as always, Wade." She smiled before signing off.

Wade smiled back pleased to be of service before turning back to work on the budgets, and a bit of side research into _all_ of the Stoppables.

* * *

Ron and Kim ducked out early as soon as the last bell rang taking Kim's car. He promised her he'd be ready to go at any time once he got in and finished packing. After a quick goodbye kiss he made his way to Casa de Stoppable without watching Kim speed away.

Mrs. Stoppable was sitting on the couch playing with Hana.

"Hi Ronnie, back from school?" His mother greeted upon seeing him step into the house.

Hana immediately focused on her big brother when he came in. "Brother!"

"Heh, getting clearer everyday. Hey Han!" Done with greeting his sister he continued.

"Yah, mom we've got a... mission later. I'm just back to pack and I'll have to bring Hana with me. It's something to do with Yamanouchi."

He was glad Sensei had explained a little about Hana's situation to his parents. They hadn't believed everything, chalking it up to eccentricity and some kind of language miss communication until Hana demonstrated her abilities.

_Looks like its' mid-day snack time. C_atching sight of the pudding, whereupon he felt the usual growl of his stomach.

_Usually not that loud_... He thought then noticed his pet naked role mat rub his stomach embarrassed.

_Looks like I'm not the only one getting the hunger pangs. _Out loud he said "C'mon Rufus let's get you and me some grub, then you gotta help me pack okay?

"**Foo'd! Hmm h'mm!"** replied the clearly excited naked role mat.

_And to think he's the one of the last remaining bearers of Mystical Monkey Power. _He thought fondly of the two left besides him. By now he could recognize the telltale... warmth? Flame? A force he didn't have the words for that resided in both his adopted sister and his closest friend after Kim. Looking back he'd even sensed it in Monkey Fist although there was a twisted feeling to the evil English lord's power. He'd suspected at first that he was nauseous in reaction to the villain's obvious monkey traits, but...

He did his best to banish the last image he had of Montgomery Fist sinking into the earth forever imprisoned in stone. _Path of the Yono..._

Rufus was tired of waiting for the food and leapt onto his human's shoulder pulling at his earlobe jabbing at the kitchen.

"I got it Rufus. Cheese and cracker platter coming up." Ron said pulled out of his funk.

He left to grab some food from the pantry which was why never noticed the frown on his mother's face.

* * *

Kim was parked, through the garage, and up the stairs before Ron was finished with the platter.

Her folks were both at work so she would have to leave them a note. After last week she'd only have Wade send out messages unless she had no choice. Somehow she suspected her mother was mining Wade for info.

As it was the house was empty except for her, the Tweebs staying after school for some extra credit work in the science lab. Kim gave a snort. More like they wanted to mess around with the supplies in the lab, since their father and mother kept a strict tally of what they had access to within the house. They had to, given Jame's propensity to bring his work home with him. Experimental rocket fuel and all.

Still, it felt good to be on the move again and working towards a solution.

_Finally going to get some answers to this stinking stich. _She thought vindictively. It had been eating at her the whole time what might be happening to her boyfriend and his sister. Well no more waiting, they'd get it settled today!

She wondered if she should pack an extra set of clothes, but figured at most they would have to stay the weekend. She had no idea what Sensei would say, or what would be required to find out how Ron's powers affected Hana.

_Better safe than sorry._ She thought opening up her mission back pack stuffing it with enough clothes to last until Sunday.

There had been a string of hits on her website throughout the week ranging from the normal search and rescue, to one run in with Killigan. Now she was glad something had kept her from going to Japan until the weekend. No worries about school deadlines, and she'd had the presence of mind to keep both of them on top of their homework. With only some minor effort on the plane rides back and forth they'd be in no danger of falling behind.

_I should keep that up too, with the cooking, football, Hana, and missions Ron's going to have more than enough on his plate. _She smiled at her range of incentives to keep Ron focused. Most of them involved BN, but finishing her own work early then promising him some quality cuddle time seemed to work even better.

She sighed at all the things that seemed destined to cut into their time spent together.

_Well I probably wouldn't enjoy the slow life much anyway... if I'm being honest_.

Had it not been for quiet time with Ron and her clubs, she'd probably been bored out of her mind without missions. Schoolwork didn't take that much effort on her part. She merely reviewed regularly and paid attention in class, it was only her drive to be at the cream of the crop academically that led to her extra time spent studying.

With her clothes packed, she made her way over to her drawer picking out a fresh mission gear outfit._ Don't see the need for the super suit this time. _She reasoned seeing the smooth obsidian vault at the back of her closet.

If anything, Kim enjoyed counting on her body that she'd honed to perfection rather than the augmentation afforded by the suit. Somehow it felt like cheating.

_No point in getting dependent on the suit. Especially, if I'm in a sitch without it. _

A quick look at her reflection in the mirror for any stray hairs and she was out, locking up, and tossing her pack into the back seat. She had time to go pick up Ron and Hana for the airport.

_Wade can remote control the Sloth back home. _

_

* * *

  
_

Ron was back down from the attic decked out in his black turtleneck and cargo pants. Rufus had done a quick inventory in the bag before poking out with a thumbs up.

He palmed his pink pet into the pants pocket and shouldered both bags (one for Hana, and one for himself.)

Setting the packs down near the door he rooted through the kitchen for some leftovers to eat before (he assumed) the airplane ride.

"Not looking forward to the peanuts and soda they serve, buddy."

"**Stale' Yu'ck phhbbthhh***" agreed Rufus sticking his tongue out.

"Better stock up while we can, might not be able to convince Kim for a drive by Naco." He continued grabbing some bread for a sandwich.

Mrs. Stoppable entered the pantry sans Hana. "Ronnie, are you sure Hana should be going?"

"Uh yah mom, it's stuff to do with her being a super ninja baby. We're going to get her checked out by Master Sensei just in case."

"But... why? Wouldn't it be safer to just keep her at home? Nothing's happened while I've been taking care of her." his mother protested with a heavy frown.

"KP thinks there might be danger, and I agree with her. I promise she'll be safe, me and Kim'll keep an eye on her."

If anything his mother looked more unhappy. "Ronald don't you think it's time you stopped doing all this running around?"

"What...do you mean mom?" Ron asked slowly, suddenly nervous.

"I mean, it's bad enough you run around risking your life! I know there's no one else to blame but your father and I for letting you run off in the first place... but, are you really going to drag your sister into danger too?"

"wha-? What're you saying mom? I would never drag Hana into-" his angry retort cut off at the incident with Monkey Fist. He tried again more calmly. "Mom I promise I'd never take Hana to something dangerous if I knew, and where we're going now is possibly the safest place in the world."

"You don't know that Ronald! I've seen you get hurt before. Hana's just a child!" she yelled.

"Hana is incredible, but even if she wasn't I'd risk my life for her and so would Kim!" he yelled back.

"DO YOU THINK SAYING YOU'LL RISK YOUR LIFE IS GOING TO WIN ME OVER?" Mrs. Stoppable raged right back.

He bit back his automatic urge to yell back. He'd been learning in his arguments with Kim that yelling quickly made talking useless.

"I didn't think you always cared." he said finally unable to help it.

She slapped him hard then looked in anguish at his red cheek (_same one as Zita) _then at her own hand disbelievingly_. _

_First time she's ever hit me..._ Ron thought dazed turning back slowly to face his mother. He'd been slapped around by henchmen and other villains before, not to mention the bullies but...

(Rufus had popped out at the yelling and quickly dove back in at the angry faces.)

"Perhaps I deserve that. I know... we-I haven't always been there for you. We left you to do a lot of your growing up by yourself." She said in a broken tone. "What could I do though? We were working hard to provide for you and by the time we knew it, you'd grown up closer to your best friend than us." The last part was especially bitter.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to see your own son more relaxed with his best friend than his own mother? I know I have no right to complain but-" she trailed off gripping the table.

"mom..." he flushed unsure of how to react to this side of his mother.

"You've turned out to be a fine son Ron, perhaps not the brightest, or the biggest but I love you anyway. Maybe Yahweh is working his will through your work. Is it too much to ask that he spare my new daughter the same fate? Give me a chance to atone for my mistakes, be a real mother this time?" she all but wailed.

Ron immediately softened. Whatever resentment he'd felt at his parents perceived neglect flushed away at the sight of his distressed mother. He just wanted them to notice him a little more, spend some time with him the way the Possibles were there for Kim, maybe be proud of him for once. He got more allowance and stuff, but he couldn't help but compare the closeness of Kim's family and his.

"Mom, you're not a bad mother. You didn't make any mistakes. I mean I'm still here after all right? You couldn't have done everything wrong!" He winced at how that sounded once he said it, but gamely continued on trying to repair his mothers shattered self esteem.

"I've learnt taking care of Hana that it's not easy being a brother much less a parent. I couldn't imagine the crazy pressure you and dad had taking care of me. I never blamed you guys for being away all the time." He fudged a little.

"I've also learned you've got to let kids learn on their own within reason. Hana's going to save the world again sooner or later mom. You need to accept that. I know I'll try to be there for her, just like I know you'll be there for her as a great mom."

Jean Stoppable closed her eyes squeezing out a few tears before marveling at how grown up Ron seemed in the space of a few seconds.

"Oh- Ronald." she stepped forward to embrace her eldest son.

_Shivering mom, sobbing into my shoulder. Definitely wrong, not sick, but definitely wrong. _Ron did his best to return the hug stroking his mothers back.

"Ron do you know why we adopted Hana?"

"Your way of telling me I need to move out once I graduate?" he tried to tease a smile.

He was rewarded with a small one even as the pain in her eyes remained. "No, Ronald. I was worried I wouldn't be able to handle it if anything bad happened to you on a mission. I need to have another child to take care of, if... something happens to you, because I honestly have no idea how I would be able to cope otherwise."

Ron's eyes widened at what he suspected she was implying. "Hey mom, don't worry. The Ron-man has a Ron factor watching out for him. Nothing's gotten past the Stoppable fortress of immunity right? This is the same, only with serious injuries!" he kidded.

"Ron-"

"Look if nothing else you should trust in Kim to watch out for me. She can do anything you know?"

"Kim's certainly been good for you hasn't she?"

"Yah mom... she really has. We're... partners. We haven't lost yet. So trust us with Hana okay?" the unshakable ring of sincerity in his words.

"Alright Ronald. Just... be careful _please?_"

"You got it mom! Now where's Hana?"

"I put her in her room and closed the door before I came down to talk to you. Didn't want her to hear in case..."

He paused before he left. "For what it's worth I didn't mean what I said mom, I was just... angry I guess."

"I'm glad you believe that, but I think we both know there was some part of you that believed what you said. That more than anything is proof..."

He rubbed her shoulders a little more before heading up to his old room.

_Okay it'll take a bit, but I'm sure things will be back to normal soon... right?_

As he turned the corner up the stairs he ran smack dab into Kim.

"**K**-!" before he was cut off with her hand clapped over his mouth.

"Ron?" came the voice of his mother.

Once she was sure he wasn't going to call out, she removed her hand indicating with her eyes she'd meet him outside.

"Surprised myself. Be right down mom." He called back watching Kim slip out of the window at the end of the hall silently.

_Might be able to give Yori a run for her money. _

He opened the door and saw Hana standing up balanced against the walls of her crib. She looked distressed.

"Heard all that huh?" he said wearily.

Arms outstretched she hugged him tightly when he lifted her out.

"Yah, it'll be okay." he sighed feeling better already. "We're going to Japan" he said trying to raising both of their spirits.

Hana only pressed her forehead against his, warbling sadly.

It had been an awkward send off. Hana seemed to hold a bit of a grudge although how she could tell what had been said was impossible to tell. In the end Ron managed to coax a goodbye hug and kiss out of the little girl which seemed to set the Stoppable matriarch at ease (if only a little more than before).

"Take care you two." she waved from the porch.

Hand waved goodbye grudgingly and Ron smiled at his mother before making his way to the car in the driveway.

He opened up the passenger side after strapping in Hand and depositing the two bags. Rufus scampered out to occupy the little girl parking himself on a cushion next to her.

Kim stared straight ahead. With nothing else to do he buckled himself in and once he closed the door they drove off.

"Guess you were right, Ron." Kim spoke suddenly focused on the road leading to the airport.

"What about KP?"

"There really does have to be another shoe drop." she said.

Ron gaped a little then, acknowledging his own words coming back to bite him in the ass (which happened more than he liked to admit), and forced himself to look out the window at the scenery rolling by.

* * *

**Middleton Air Strip**

Once they parked Kim gathered up their bags while Ron unlocked Hana. Even the usually cheerful girl picked up on the rather tense emotions, barely smiling as they made their way to a mini jet.

Once they'd settled in the jet began its take off run.

Ron noticed that Kim had foregone the usual conversation with their favour-ee.

_No 'thanks for the ride, least i could do, no big. Who's that? Didn't you-?' Etc. Instead Kim just dipped her head and smiled in thanks. _

_What mom said couldn't have been that bad could it?_

He replayed the conversation. Certainly it had been painful for him but he couldn't pick anything that would have made Kim drop her usual polite greeting. The whole exchange was as much a part of mission tradition as... _well everything_.

Ron spent most of the flight fussing with Hana unsure of how to deal with Kim. He sensed she wasn't ready to talk about it, whatever was bugging her. Hana wasn't much cheered up despite his and Rufus' best efforts. Finally after another snack she slept fitfully for which he was glad. They wouldn't have to free fall this time since they lucked out and had a plane that was heading there for a refuel anyway while dropping off some packages.

_Maybe that's why Kim is bummed?_ He thought hopefully, knowing it wasn't true. Kim was in a funk even before they left his house. Which led right back to the conversation she overheard.

"So uh Kim, quite the spy you're turning out to be... planning on changing your job title? I know GJ is gunning hard for recruitment but maybe-"

"I'm sorry for overhearing your talk with Mrs. Stoppable."

"Well, uh it wasn't my proudest moment, but I didn't really mind or anything. So when did you start listening in?" he asked hoping it would give him a clue as to how defuse Kim's bad mood.

"I snuck in through the attic window, I figured you might still have been packing. When it was empty I made my way down in time to hear your mother start yelling."

_Ah the old Possible standby of sneaking in via tree house and open window. Sometimes I suspect Kim just likes jumping over stuff for the heck of it. _

He winced and moved to sit next to her. Ron was relieved that she was willing to lean on his shoulder when he pulled her close instead of pulling away.

"Okay, so that wasn't my favorite parent son conversation ever. Still I think it turned out alright in the end, don't you?"

"Ron... I never realized your mom was so worried."

"Ha! Like Mrs. Dr. P and Mr. Dr. P don't worry when you get back!"

"They do, but they've never cried like that or lost their temper. Not that I know of at least..." she said looking at him wondering if her parents did worry like that, behind closed doors. "I thought Mrs. Stoppable trusted us."

"Kim, what she said doesn't mean she doesn't trust us, she just recognizes there's a certain risk to saving the world. She is married to an actuary. As for the risk I think I made that clear more than once before, vocally and repeatedly." he gave her a grin.

She whapped him lightly on the chest. "Ron, she's really worried you might die on these missions. I mean I've always been scared you'd get hurt or worse, but I can't show that all the time or I'll freeze up. And that would be so the drama in a tight sitch." she said trying to explain.

"KP, it's cool. I got that like years ago. I just complain enough for the both of us since you know, you can't seem to. Trust me, mom 'll come around. She's probably just feeling bad cuz Hana is involved this time. So far we've been unstoppable why start doubting that now?"

"This is serious, Ron."

"I am serious. You can do anything, and I've got grande sized luck. In every sense of the word." He gave her shoulder a tiny squeeze. "Everything will work out, you'll see." he said confidently.

Rufus patted her arm then settled in to nestle between them.

_I trust in us, all of us. I'll prove to Mrs. Stoppable that she has nothing to worry about, no matter what it takes..._

**

* * *

Japan undisclosed airfield**

"This is your stop Ms. Possible."

"Thanks for the ride Mr.-"

"No thanks is necessary after you helped us ensure the survival of our school." He motioned to both members of Team Possible and their younger charge. "The disciples of Yamanouchi are honored to lend the chosen ones our support."

"Alright KP, secret Ninja favors! This hurricane rocks!" Ron walked up with Hana in tow strapped to his chest.

Kim laughed a little as she watched the luckless Ninja pause in confusion for a moment as Ron gave him a high five, followed by a repeat performance for the little girl.

The mood amongst the group was noticeably better when they left the airstrip. Ron moved to scout out the bus that he remembered taking him to the base of the mountain. Kim had a sneaking suspicion the whole area was run by graduates of Sensei but had no way of proving it.

After some polite pointing and directions by a helpful Japanese attendant. They made their way to the correct bus station, a few minutes of waiting and they boarded as the only passengers.

From there it seemed like an indeterminate amount of time passed after sitting down trying to track their destination. Despite her resolve to stay awake, the bumpy country road and swaying motion of the bus rocked Kim to sleep. She slumped comfortably against Ron who had fallen asleep earlier hugging Han who had also passed out.

The man operating the bus was impressed. The Chosen One and The Han were both put to sleep quickly. It had required quite a concentrated delivery of sleeping powder through the fans to make the gaijin Kim Possible fall asleep.

A few minutes later Rufus made his way to the front. He always enjoyed these rides, the bus drivers passed him delightful Japanese snacks every time.

The group rubbed sleep out of their eyes, Kim waking up more quickly than the other two. Hana was still asleep while Ron moved slowly. She was mildly tweaked upon awakening that she had failed to figure out where they were. The surrounding area had no distinctive topographical landmarks or clues to where they had stopped. Subtle prodding of the Kimmunicator showed it was out of range which made no sense whatsoever. (The last time she had been to Yamanouchi somehow also fallen asleep- she narrowed her eyes at the coincidences building up, things got a little hairy afterward so she was unable to take time to notice where Yamanouchi stood but...)

_Guess they're not ninjas for nothing. _Kim thought a little impressed.

Ron shouldered one bag leaving Kim with the other two. _Please don't let it be-_

"Greetings Possible-san, Stoppable-san, and Hana-chan. If you will follow me, Yamanouchi awaits your presence."

Kim turned around from the bus where Ron was getting off.

_It had to be._

Looking immaculately beautiful and calm stood...

_Yor- "-o_ri!_" _Ron said excitedly seeing his old friend.

The young ninja smiled, folding her hands together, perfectly poised while bowing politely, before motioning them towards the steps that led to the secret school.

"Sensei has been expecting you."

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Set up chapter – I know. I promised we'd get somewhere by now, but the next chapter will finally have some answers. I swear! Anyway Team Possible + 1 are finally back at Yamanouchi's hallowed ninja filled halls. So Sensei has some explaining to do!

There weren't as many fun bits in here like the last chapter (in fact it was kind of a downer). It had to be done though. I'll even admit I'm kinda disappointed with Ron's parents so perhaps I'm a little harsher with them than I should be. Still as Ron points out, they're not bad people by any stretch of imagination. Just a little callous? Thank goodness they seem to do a better job with Hana, and Ron's father even has a moment in the 4th season.

Anyway uh tell me if you think the chapters are too long, or Zita's characterization last chapter was weak (I thought so personally), Ron's getting too many glory moments in comparison to Kim? Hana being too much of a cute-ex-machina? (I am totally using that phrase later) etc. Love to hear from you guys.

Sat down earlier today to write out bits of the outline – and suddenly these really crazy ideas started popping up. I'm kinda worried now that I'll never get there... since they'd have to be a sequel(s?)

Anyway first, Days of Hana needs to get done. I'll see to that first. Again I hope you enjoyed it.

* * *

**Preview:**

Ah but Stoppable San do you truly know what the Mystical Monkey Power is?

If I say it gives me a craving for banana and banana related food products are you going to laugh at me?

Ron I don't think that's what-

Uh let's say Kim here doesn't understand what the Mystical Monkey Power is so why don't you explain it for-

Ron!

Well do you?

No... -but!

* * *

**Omake:**

1)

Jean Stoppable felt the weight of her years for first time in a long time. Carefully she pulled out a scrapbook and flipped through it sitting down slowly. There were pictures of a gangly blonde child with big ears growing up slowly as the pages continued, with only a few group shots when there were vacations to other places. The majority of the pictures with the growing boy seemed to be spent in the company of a red haired girl or alone. Then near the end there were a new cluster of pictures showing a little Asian girl surrounded by a warm loving family. A drop or two fell down onto the plastic laminated seal and she quickly wiped it away. _Please..._


	8. ERiaA: Dance A Dream

**Days of Hana**

_**Every Riddle is an Answer**_

**by unwrittenaria**

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**

Disclaimer: everyone knows the drill, KP and her associated characters etc. Belong to Disney and their creators. This is fanwork only.

* * *

**Somewhere in the mountains of Japan**

"So Yori, Sensei was expecting us?"

"Yes Stoppable-san, Sensei has indeed foretold your coming. You and Possible-san, although I am very pleased to see little Han." the lithe ninja girl smiled cradling Hana.

The 3 teens made their way up the long torturous climb up the mountain pass. Ron had reflexively taken all the bags again as part of the honour drill. Kim had given him a surprised stare when he reached for her two packs, but he had been busy conversing with Yori.

She followed half a step behind, trying to discreetly gauge the Japanese girls intentions.

If anything Yori seemed much more taken by the younger Stoppable than her fellow Yamanouchi Alumnus.

_She practically lit up when Hana went over to be held by her... C'mon Possible, Yori was cool last time, you said so yourself. Show a little confidence here. _

With that little mental pep talk, she strode forward to walk in step beside the two plastering what she hoped was a polite smile on her face. She was relieved when she found herself walking on the other side of Yori rather than stepping in-between the two.

_Or maybe I'm just trying to box her in? No it makes sense, she is carrying Hana so this is a better defensive position. _From what dangers exactly, Kim couldn't quite specify.

"Hey Yori. I'm glad to see you again."

"As it is good seeing you, Possible-san." Yori nodded in return facing Kim for the first time.

"Check it KP, Yori says they've prepared a meal for us!"

"Easy Ron, remember the cuisine isn't why we're here."

"Indeed, Sensei wishes to speak to each of you. He suggested that you partake in a meal with us, we are having a celebratory feast for the rebuilding of the school." She shifted Hana in her grasp who had been trying to grab her red headband. "There are portions of it still being painted, but much of it is as it once was."

"I'm glad to hear that Yori. Are you sure we aren't interrupting anything?" Kim worried about butting into a private party. "Maybe there's something we could do to help?"

Yori gave this offer her consideration for a moment. "Perhaps, Possible-san. There may indeed be something you could assist us with." She smiled.

Ron spoke up. "If it's meal preparation I'd like to help." He quickly filled Yori in on the details for his shop back in Middleton. "Wouldn't mind picking up some Japanese ninja-style cooking tips from Master Lunch Lady." He gave a silly knife cutting motion in the air which garnered another giggle from Yori and Kim's patented Ron eye rolls.

Yori smiled. "I am sure she would be very pleased to share her secret arts with you, Ron-san. Providing you can catch them."

"Huh?"

"I have said too much Stoppable-san, you will understand when you see her." Yori explained her smile turning secretive.

Kim caught the smile and once again felt her temper rising.

_There's Yori and Hana and Ron, and now it looks like they're a family! Add a couple of years, and Yori could very well pass for a young mother with her holding Hana like that. _

Ironically the rumours of Hanas' true parentage never reached her, having died out long before in the face of Ron's announcement.

"So uh... Yori, how's your training going?" She quickly interjected in an effort to get her feelings under control.

Ron took a moment to observe the two girls talking about various styles and sparring training. He might be dating Kim, but he would always have a soft (friendlyish) spot for this particular ninja girl.

_After all it was a rare thing for anyone, male or female to meet Ron Stoppable and like me from the get-go when I was by myself no less. Being with Kim at least seemed to help keep people from dismissing me entirely. _

He shifted the packs more evenly sweating a little despite the cool spring weather.

_But Yori did, even when I'd demonstrated an appalling lack of ninja know how during my training here. _

Even before he had saved the day, (_well Rufus did at any rate_) she seemed to notice something in the young American teen with the cowlick that she admired, what that was he couldn't begin to guess_. _

_I definitely made her laugh, (unintentionally sure...), but hey I'll take a pretty girl laughing at/with me any day of the week! Beats being laughed at by the thugs from cell block D at least._

More than halfway up he began to stare at the rough stone steps, worn smooth by the passage of what he could only suppose was countless trips to and fro between the mountain and the village below.

_For once I could have done without the whole daily training tool from those Hong Kong martial art flicks, especially if it means losing the whole stairway to heaven gimmick. Our honour to walk my Naco laden butt. _

Yori and Kim of course looked disturbingly cool and refreshed, and while they both weren't carrying packs Ron wondered if they were breaking out fans while he wasn't looking.

Recognition of any kind wasn't something he pursued (with one or two exceptions), but given the lack of it growing up (except in situations where he didn't want any) getting it from a beautiful kick-ass girl like Yori had soothed a part of him he'd barely recognized. He wasn't much of a warrior hero really but he'd played a part he felt with the whole Fukushima debacle.

Looking back, he had an inkling that the glimmer of a thought of someone like Yori liking him for himself (even a bit, never mind respecting him), was part of the spark that set him down the road of seeing Kim that way.

_I only kinda believed that good night peck on the cheek was some kind of Japanese custom. I mean girls back in Middleton can barely even bother to give me a hello wave much less a polite greeting, so a kiss is going to set off some alarms._

After all there were enough similarities there that it couldn't be entirely unfeasible right? That tiny half hidden hope came and went as his relationship with his best friend ebbed and flowed. But it gave him strength over time, take a few chances it seemed to goad. They were best friends and he never wanted to lose that, but how could he not consider it?

At long last the trio of teens reached the mountain top. They had been in quite a hurry last time, so Kim hadn't been able to fully appreciate the splendour of Ron's school. Yamanouchi held a timeless grace, removed as it were from the world. She found herself wistful and perhaps a little envious of Ron's chance to train here. Here was a sanctuary for those who wished to train and hone themselves, and while she couldn't see herself staying here forever, an extended stay was sure to give her an edge.

Yori held Hana close to her with the little girl peering over her shoulder back at them, as she made her way across the rickety bridge, in perfect balance with nary a shake or shiver save for a gust of wind.

Kim noted the way she crossed and emulated the swing and rhythm of Yori's steps, subconsciously adjusting her own centre of gravity and body posture as she crossed.

Ron of course watched the girls cross first, and then began to worry at the way his packs were likely to cause the weak looking tether to snap mid way. Seeing the two girls cross without a sweat of course meant he'd have to suck it up and brave his way across anyway.

_So Yori is a ninja, and Kim is... well Kim, but I've made it across this bridge before no sweat!_

Taking a deep breath (he felt the onset of a 'scream of courage') he began to slide his way across the boards. Violent tossing motions reduced him to mindless animal terror at the thought of dropping into the yawning chasm below.

An age later (or so it felt) he landed in a heap kissing the ground. Yori of course laughed. _"Oh_ Stoppable-san, again with the in-appropriate American style making out with the ground." Kim wanted to laugh as well, but hearing Yori mention the words 'making out' sent her head back in a tail spin.

"Come." she said taking one hand from Hana to pull a lever in the wall. As the towering gate doors of Yamanouchi swung open with a large creak, revealing Sensei who stood appearing unflappable as always.

"Greetings, and _welcome_ once more to Yamanouchi, Team Possible." He greeted the three with a small bow and a merry twinkle. "Come, we have much to discuss, and _much_ to celebrate." With a precise movement he waved to them scarlet sleeves flowing, and a swish of his white beard while he turned to lead them further in.

* * *

Kim was impressed. The ninja academy had spent but a month or two to completely rebuild the castle (that had been literally cleaved in two under the might of the Yono), to say nothing of the splash damage to the surrounding area. The furrow in the ground from the strike was completely gone, with nothing to suggest a great battle had once taken place here. While it wasn't completely unprecedented, given how fast they had been working when she had left here last time, it was still slightly shocking.

She glanced over to her guide. "So Yori, where are we headed?"

"We are going to one of the bath houses. Sensei felt perhaps the two of you would prefer to – I think the American term is 'freshen up'?" She continued once Kim gave her a nod. "We have arranged for your belongings to be stored in the house where you will stay tonight. We have prepared you with a set of clothes and supplies."

Kim frowned a little at first, the last time she had been here everything was happening at once, and she had been unable to see much of the school before Hana had her date with destiny. _Still a little tweaked that I got petrified for the fight._ Now knowing what she did about Japanese bath customs (from Ron) she felt a shade of worry.

Yori seemed to pick up on her feelings.

"Ah, forgive me Possible-san, the bath house will be of course- how do you say? for private use only." She said politely.

Kim ducked her head a little having been read so clearly. "No problem Yori, just not used to it I guess."

"It is "no big", although I confess I would like to join you if that would not pose too much discomfort, I would like to discuss the _help_ you offered earlier."

Kim grinned uncomfortably. _Awkweird. Sigh, although knowing Yori it should be fine. _

She smiled hesitantly at the Japanese girl. "Sure Yori, when in Rome right?"

* * *

Ron plodded behind Sensei, taking note that they were heading towards the general open training grounds.

_Ah bad times, _He thought fondly. Ron was lost for a moment, reminiscing losing his whole ninja suit, and his inability to disappear from view here.

_As much as I'd love to get me some mad ninpou moves, I really don't want to show up in in my boxers alone again. _For the millionth time since he'd started this whole side-kicking business he wondered why it was he kept losing his pants.

Ron felt refreshed having finally been freed of his burdens. Afterwards he jumped at the chance to take a quick soak in the onsen, once he'd washed off most of the sweat and dirt from trekking up here first. The hot mineral water had done wonders for his slightly aching muscles, and he'd been tempted to fall asleep enjoying the open air bath. After Kim, Hana, and a tray full of Nacos, the view of the mountain range scenery here was easily one of the most beautiful ones he had ever seen.

_With any luck there'll be one more chance tonight to marinate in the hot springs. _He thought wistfully.

He absentmindedly wondered where Yori and Kim had gone, but did his best to focus on what Master Sensei was saying to him. Sensei had taken care of Hana while the group had split up and was now handing her off to one of the students. Ron suspected it had little to do with the way Hana kept tugging on Senseis' beard.

Sensei made his way to a nearby bench close to the borders of the training field. "Please, join me Stoppable-san."

Ron obediently plopped down next to the wizened old man, stretching his arms and legs in the air.

"It's badical seeing you again Sensei."

"The pleasure is mine young Stoppable-san. I fear however that we have much to discuss, and not enough time to speak on all that we should."

Ron seemed to get antsy at this. "The Yono doesn't have an evil-er... eviler twin brother or sister does he?"

Sensei gave a low rumbling laugh. "No young Stoppable-san, the dark destroyer has no brethren that our scrolls and prophecies reveal. I am speaking of The Han, and your role as the true Mystical Monkey Master."

Ron rubbed his head nervously, "Yah... about that Sensei. Uh, duno if you noticed but I don't exactly got the Mystical Monkey Mojo working for me all the time." He continued, shame colouring his voice. "Hana did all the work when we faced off against the big bad last time. I just kinda trapped Monkey Fist by falling on him...by accident. If _anything_ we should be thanking the producers of the Flippy videos for saving the world."

"Your humility and honesty speaks well of you, young Stoppable-san." He said kindly. "However, your desire to relieve your responsibility is unbecoming of a warrior hero such as yourself." He said sternly.

Ron gave a tired sigh. "I know this one Sensei, I've seen it in the Fearless Ferret origin comic trades. With great Ferrety powers comes great Ferret responsibilities."

Sensei might have widened his eyes, Ron would never be able to tell. "Indeed Stoppable-san, I fear though your powers and responsibilities are more than drawings on a page." He drew Ron's attention to his younger sister.

Hana seemed to be playing keep away, or maybe tag with a whole class of senior Ninjas. She was having a great time trying to make her way out of the tight defensive net the ninjas erected. A few had made the mistake of trying to capture her and were promptly tossed back into a wall. Dazed and mostly unhurt but for their pride. The other ninjas who had been told this was training, focused harder recognizing the need to be cautious now.

_With no knowledge of the future, we cannot anticipate everything and thus must learn to adapt. _Sensei thought watching his students. _This will be a valuable lesson for them not to trust in what they see alone, _he watched as another one flew off into the trees. -_or be too quick to judge._

"She will be counting on you Stoppable-san. To guide her and help her grow. That you love her is clear to see from the way you watch over her." He stopped, bent low at the waist to avoid another unlucky recipient of Hana's incredible strength, resuming without a hitch. "I do not fault you that, I merely ask that you embrace fully the responsibility of your own powers, to better understand hers."

Ron was still nervously eyeing any incoming human missiles. "I get that Sensei, I really do, but what do you want me to say? I've got no control over my MMP magic. Besides, hows getting a grip on my monkey magic gonna help me with my little sister?"

"Let me ask you this Stoppable-san. In the weeks that you have been watching over her have you noticed a connection that you find... hard to explain?" he posed carefully.

"Huh- oh! Are you talking about the weird mind connection we've got. I swear sometimes I can feel what she feels," he gave his Sensei the hairy eye ball. "- and I've got a sneaky suspicion she can read my mind." he stage whispered.

Sensei really did widen his eyes this time. He stroked his beard excitedly. "This is incredible news Stoppable-san. I had guessed there would be a connection, but for it to develop in such a short period speaks even more that I was right to entrust Hana with you and your family."

Ron waited for the explanation.

"Stoppable-san, one more question if you please, do you remember what else I entrusted with you last, before you departed with Possible-san, and Hana-chan?"

Ron gave a puzzled frown, _Sensei couldn't be talking about that pair of chopsticks could he? Maybe he was angry about it!_ _But I didn't even realize they'd fallen into my pants until we were on the plane! Boy was that a bad idea..._

A soft sheen of light from his hand caught his eye. He failed to resist the urge to smack his forehead. Sensei looked on in silent amusement at the destined hero of mystical monkey power banged his head.

"Oh right, The Lotus Blade." Ron groaned to himself. He pushed up the sleeves of the white Gi outfit (that he had been provided with after the bath), to reveal the blue seamless metal bracelet.

_He has even gained a degree of mastery, enough to reshape the Blade into a form other than that of a weapon._

Ron was busy recalling what had happened before he had last left Yamanouchi.

* * *

While Kim and Yori were saying goodbye to one another and playing with Hana, Sensei had called him aside.

"Here young Stoppable-san, I wish you to take this with you before you go."

He opened up a long thin chest revealing a plush red lining housing a familiar brilliant blue blade. Ron now more attuned with the feeling of the power could feel it pulsing from the blade.

He looked up in shock. "Whoa, I can't take this Sensei! This is like the secret weapon you keep in case the final boss shows up! Like those break plastic in case of fire boxes. I wouldn't know what to do with it except probably cut my pants off."

Sensei gave a secret chuckle at this.

"I merely ask you to take it with you Stoppable-san. The last time you were here, though you had proven yourself the blade's master you were not ready to wield it." Sensei said calmly. "If you still do not believe yourself ready, you need not take it to battle. I ask only that you keep it by your side."

"Sensei... are you asking me to protect Hana with the Lotus Blade?" He asked trying to fish out the old man's true intentions.

"You are the chosen one Ron Stoppable, as long as your heart remains pure the blade will obey you. What then you decide to use it for then, is up to you. It has remained in my care long enough, it now belongs with its' true master." Senseis' serene face gave no clue to his thoughts other than what he had stated.

Ron considered this with obvious worry. Somehow he knew taking the legendary artifact would have repercussions, it might mean (the dreaded) _change..._

Then he looked over to the group of girls standing in front of the beginnings of a major recovery effort, and seemed to make his choice.

"Okay, Sensei... I'll choose to take the mystical blade with me for now... but I can't promise anything."

"That is all I ask Stoppable-san." His Sensei assured him with a smile.

Ron gave a nervous sickly smile, and belted the blade (it had turned into a pair of nun chucks with a pop). They both clapped their hands bowing deeply to one another.

"Stoppable-san, I wish you, Kim Possible-san, and Hana peace and love." Sensei said cheerfully throwing up a V.

"Alright _Sensei!_ Right back at you!" The young man finally started to smile, before turning to make his way to his companions.

Sensei spent a moment watching the young heroes leave the gates of Yamanouchi. Yori had escorted them down the mountain leaving him to reflect on the paths of people and their fates.

_He is perhaps not the first choice I, or my people would have thought of, when we uncovered the prophecies regarding the new Mystical Monkey Power wielder. There were after all several whose name fit the clues. _Yet, the young freckled teen sitting before him had caught his eye. Had it not been for his work in Team Possible they might never have discovered him otherwise, it was true.

Something in Senseis' long years as an instructor and practitioner of the arts, gave him a strong feeling to keep an eye out on this "gaijin" (as some of his less thrilled colleagues called him). Perhaps, through his lifetime of study and refinement in the mystical arts which gained him a tentative link with the power, (which he had displayed in the battle with the Yono) allowing him to recognize part of the forces that led this young man to his destiny.

It had been a moment of triumph when their scouting payed off, and Ron Stoppable led them to the discovery of Monkey Fist and his secret shrine. There had long been reports and rumours of the English Lord's obsession and while they were worried, under Senseis' provision they could not move against him without cause. Prophecy also spoke of one who would rise up to challenge the power's bearer, a fake, how he would unleash a terrible evil, and more.

They were only able to later pierce together the details of what had happened to grant Ron Stoppable power like that of the founder, Toshimiru. It took even longer for the debates about whether it was acceptable to bring him to Yamanouchi for training and guidance. Surely there could be no other place for the foretold chosen one to receive instruction.

It was sadly a year later before Sensei could convince the rest of the elders that it would be necessary to reveal Yamanouchi and it's secrets to the "chosen one". Stoppable-san had proved himself in the end, (Rufus-san as well, whose mention strangely was not part of any prophecy) when he successfully called the Lotus Blade from across the land.

Then he had discovered the Han one day nearly a year later, a large glowing lotus bloom appearing in the vault in front of the shrine housing the greatest of Yamanouchi's secrets. The Lotus Blade, a sacred katana that carved the mountain itself, and proof of the true chosen one. He reverently unfolded radiant petals of translucent blue to find the child housed within. Strong bright eyes that pooled with a secret power at one moment, judging him, and cheerful innocence the next. Sensei shook himself out of the momentary fear he felt at the power contained in this little one, recognizing the incarnation of the power in it's truest form.

Nobody had known what the mystical weapon referred to. That it would be a child was unthinkable at first. Again destiny moved in strange, unfathomable circles. Slowly, the other parts of the prophecy, such as the lines regarding "loving the weapon made it invincible," began to make sense.

He resolved to send the child away from Yamanouchi where it might be brought up for the sake of controlling, and using her powers for personal gain. Even one as learned as he, knew the temptation to mold this young one for the "greater good" proved too great a risk. Better then to send her to ones who knew nothing, cared not for her "destiny", yet would still provide the right love and care for her future that she deserved. Stoppable-san would once again prove his worth he was sure.

It took less time than before to arrange the adoption agency, Hana's very existence a secret but to a few. Primary amongst them was Yori, his eldest and most cherished student. Who grew to love this young child very much indeed, in the short period Hana resided at Yamanouchi. An instant kinship formed between the two, and Yori was ever beside the young girl asleep or awake. Many of the other students saw her laughing and playing with the sweet child, and remarked they had never seen her express such unreserved affection, but for that one other period.

It was hard then for Sensei to tell her that Hana would be sent away, and while she respected Senseis' choices, she had wept silent tears in her room the night before Hana was to be sent to America. That she would grow knowing the love of Stoppable-san and his family was but a little consolation to the young ninja.

Sensei felt his desire to console what had become a grand daughter to him grow strong, knowing even as he did there was no way he could keep Hana here. He was also immeasurably proud of Yori, she had developed such strength of character even in the face of her desires. When they had gone to America she had volunteered to be the one to attend. He had feared her inability to let go, but his pride in her was assured. She was gracious and polite, betraying nothing more than a slightly bittersweet smile when it came time to hand Hana over.

"_Please, care for this one as you would your own. She is very special to me." _was the limit of her control. Still her plea to Mrs. Stoppable seemed to touch the matronly woman. Who had smiled with her husband grasping her shoulders, and promised the young Asian woman she would.

_What nice people, they seem to care very much for their charges. _the Stoppables thought as they left the agency.

* * *

"Yes Stoppable-san, you were entrusted with the Lotus Blade. May I ask what you discovered wielding it?"

"Uh... it doesn't turn into a spatula?" Ron joked.

"Indeed the mystical weapon does not seem to serve as a cooking utensil. I pray that you have not tried to prepare food with it regardless?"

"No! That'd be uh... wrong. H-honestly Sensei? I've used it a few times by reflex shielding Kim or Hana from what I thought were dangers, but most of the time I try not to touch it at all." He said hesitantly recognizing the need to be serious. "It's so powerful, and sharp and everything. I kinda feel uncomfortable swinging it around, even if it does look pretty badical. Besides most of the time Kim's on top of things, so there's no need for me to use it really!"

_It is wise that he has not wielded it too carelessly, there lies always a possibility that he could succumb to the power, perverting the blade for his own uses. With the blade's power alone it could unfortunately be an instrument of great evil and destruction. While a healthy amount of respect and fear for it is good, neither is a consuming fear that keeps him from harnessing the blade at all. _

He resolved to talk more with the young chosen one about this.

"I cannot say for sure what is true, I can only offer my opinion based on what I have learned. I advise you to take that into consideration when you decide to act."

Ron nodded to show he was listening, and understood.

"As you already know, the Lotus Blade is attuned with the power you possess, it serves as a way of identifying the bearers of mystical monkey power. Those that wield it in conjunction with the power are able to shape it to their will as you and Rufus-san have done. It focuses and heightens your powers, working to enforce your will if it is a pure one." He paused here in his recap to see if Ron was following.

He was.

"Now, The Han, or Hana as we have come to know her, is considered a mystical weapon of prophecy. In her she also possesses a reservoir of power, that I suspect with time and care will only grow stronger. It is why it is your duty to instruct her, showing her love and patience."

Ron gave a loud gulp at this, flashing back to the night before the Yono. The despair that he had failed her, and being relieved when it was proven he had helped in his own way to keeping his little sister alive.

"I suspect that You, Rufus, Hana, and the Lotus Blade in close conjunction with each other has created a resonant effect." He caught the confused expression at the last word. "It is, what you would describe as the effect of putting nachos into a taco. The parts combine into a whole that is greater, it's effect multiplied." He continued.

Ron was a little muddled until the (metaphor?) Sensei offered, and then seemed to understand.

"I think I kinda get it Sensei. So all of us being together boosts our MMP signal?"

"Yes Stoppable-san, there are nuances and as I have stated before, this is merely the rambling guesswork of an old man. Nonetheless, that is my opinion of the power within all of you."

Ron if anything looked more frightened than before.

"B-but, does that mean it's going to grow and grow? What if I turn into someone like Monkey Fist once the power trips a breaker. And the breaker here being me! Or Rufus! AND HANA?!"

Sensei was quick to hit a couple of acupuncture points to relieve the blonde's stress before it caused him to be frantic.

"Indeed Stoppable-san that is a possibility. The fact that you worry, again does you credit. It is also why I will be temporarily taking back the Lotus Blade."

Ron looked up from his worried gaze at Hana, who was still happily playing with what was left of the able minded Ninja students.

"Come again?"

"Without it's focusing effect the resonance effect I suspect should be reduced. The bond you have with your fellow Mystical Monkey Power bearers will decrease, but now that it has been established will never truly go away."

Ron was relieved for once in the conversation. He had sensed a growing closeness with both Hana and Rufus, and would be crushed to lose that feeling of interconnectedness (even if he didn't actually know that word.)

"The growth of your powers will also likely slow, however now that it has awakened, like the bond will never truly disappear. While it may as you describe it "come and go" know this, you must learn to control it before it controls you. From now on as long as you spend time with Rufus-san and Hana the power will continue to draw strength from each of you and increase. If you are not careful it could build up within, until it explodes. I have no way of proving this, but I urge you to consider it carefully nonetheless." Sensei said gravely.

"Sensei, this tanks. Are you sure the mystical monkey gods have the right person for all this? I think Rufus would be better..."

"Although much of what we have spoken of is grave indeed, I assure you Stoppable-san I have the utmost trust in your abilities. I suspect Hana, and your Possible-san think likewise." He gave a mentorly smile to the young man.

"I leave you with this one thought. You have chosen by your own hand to take up these responsibilities. That is why we are here speaking today. By your own efforts and actions you are shaping your own destiny. That is all any of us can ask for, Stoppabe-san."

Ron looked up at his master and seemed to reflect on this.

"Now I believe it is time to demonstrate why I am called Sensei to my students." He gave another V and moved to capture the baby that was giving his students so much trouble.

* * *

_This is surprisingly nice, and I'm glad Yori's with me. _Kim thought to herself. _Even if the water did have a kinda funny smell at first._

It had been a strange experience to be sure. Yori had offered to wash Kim's back and hair, which caused her to blush assuring the ninja girl she'd be fine.

"You have beautiful skin Possible-san, I am sure many of my fellow sisters in training would be quite envious. A clear complexion is highly prized here." Yori said simply. The unadorned truth caused Kim to squirm, pleased but unsure how to return the compliment.

"I know it's a stereotype for us redheads, but I really would like to be able to tan a little sometimes. It's so frustrating when Bon-a girl at my school shows off her tan. You look golden Yori." She complained good naturedly.

"I am sure each of you has her own merits." Yori said lightly washing off with a basin of water, before stepping into the bath.

"Well if we're being honest here, you'd give Bonnie a run for her money for best figure." Kim said with hints of envy.

_I thought Japanese women were supposed to be petite? Or does everyone look that way next to me? _She groused peeking down at her towel covered torso.

Yori had been prepared to go au natural with only a small hand towel, but again seemed to sense Kim's discomfort. It didn't help that she looked stunning in a full body towel wrap anyway. If there was one thing Kim couldn't improve through effort it was her genetics, and she had no plans on "augmenting" herself. Still looking at the ninja girls slim figure except for one area made her wonder if it got in the way of her training.

_Probably gets the boys to knock themselves out just by getting near them. _She though jealously. For the thousandth time that day she told herself to amp down.

_Bonnie has curves too and Ron doesn't stare at them... all the time. Okay so he glances, I should know that's inevitable with boys at his age. I've found myself staring at a handsome face on occasion. Bonnie, whatever her recent changes of heart isn't going to be the kind of person Ron would want now anyway. _Even as she thought this she knew it would be different with Yori. From what she could gather from their rather short interactions, Yori was rather like herself, _only without the short temper, and the sarcasm, and figured she liked Ron a lot earlier than I ever did, and isn't a flat- Arghh._

Sure she was clean she jumped into the hot water all at once. Only realizing what a dumb thing it was to do (before her body adjusted to the temperature gradually), when her whole body underwent the shock of being cooked.

_Maybe I can pretend my boiling face is because of the heat. Yah that'll work. _

After a few minutes she was relieved to find her body adjusting. Yori looked at peace with her eyes closed, somehow managing to make even bathing seem effortlessly graceful.

Kim did her best to arrange her hair so it didn't make her look like a wet mop, trying to draw the same kind of peace Yori was exuding.

"Yori, I have to ask how do you look so... perfect just sitting there?"

Yori opened her eyes in slight quizzical confusion. "I apologize. I am unsure of your meaning?"

She opened her mouth to scream then forced herself to try again. "You stepped into the bath looking like you were doing a performance. Every move you make is... beautiful." Kim tried to explain.

Yori pinked quite pleasantly. "Domo, Kim-san. That is very kind of you to say. Perhaps you are referring to my training?"

"Training? As in bath training?" Kim repeated uncomprehending.

"I shall try to explain, we are taught from our time growing up here to... practice our movements. From the moment we awake, to the moment we repose, we are to control and regulate our actions so that they may be... harmonious. We find great honour in pursuing balance of body, mind, and soul. Every action can be controlled, refined, and perfected is one of the teachings here at Yamanouchi."

Kim goggled at the implications. _Everyday growing up? I mean I trained in sixteen kinds of kung-fu, and cheer leading, plus alot of other stuff, I don't think anyone could say I don't work hard. But every moment of every day? That's crazy!_

She took a moment to consider this rather bizarre form of training. "So I apologies if this is rude but, how would you relax then?"

Yori gave a beatific smile, like a teacher receiving a desired answer. "With a certain amount of training, this form of movement becomes second nature. We find it improves our physical condition, sharpens our minds, and thus becomes restful in it's course. I hope that I may equal Senseis' mastery of movement in time. Sadly, I have much training left to do."

Kim was openly admiring the young girl in front of her now. _That much control and dedication. I have alot of fun during missions, that's why I've continued doing them. I really don't know if I could have controlled every aspect of my life like she has. _At the same time she couldn't help but feel she wouldn't want to anyway.

_Well I'm Kim Possible and what works for me, might not work for her either. _ She decided she'd treat Yori like some of the athletes she admired, she respected their achievements, but wouldn't force herself to become them.

Still, as their conversation turned to more casual topics, Kim came out of the bath with a greater respect for the girl/friend she had previously seen only as a major source of jealousy.

* * *

"Hey guys, don't get too down. Even Kim had trouble with Hana at first!" Ron called out encouragingly to the remnants of the once proud class of ninjas responsible for capturing his sister.

Sensei had walked in deceptively slowly, weaving through the bodies to simply pick up the little girl that had eluded a group of 30 skilled fighters for half an hour or more. Ron suspected some kind of mystic projection trickery, but had no way of proving it.

_Maybe I can mind read Hana later._

Once Sensei returned with his little sister in tow, Ron had told him about his desire to help in the upcoming celebratory feast.

Sensei had been pleased at the offer and a student seemed to appear out of nowhere to lead him to the serving area. Hana would be taken for her own bath now, and then brought back when the time for the meal came. Rufus decided he'd like a little bath, and would do double duty as the rubber ducky bounded down to the floor. Where he received many deep bows from some of the students around him. (There would be much hushed, but excited whispering tonight as the students bragged of having exchanged greetings with the legendary Rufus-san.)

With a wave at his still energized sister, Ron followed his guide to the Master Lunch Lady's domain.

_Wonder what Yori was talking about "catching" earlier..._

He soon understood upon sliding the doors to the side and getting his first glimpse of the kitchen area.

"Dude, Extreme Ninja Cooking Arts? This place totally rocks!"

And indeed it was. The whole area was the perhaps double the cafe kitchen, the difference was there seemed to be ninjas everywhere. Tossing supplies and cutting them in the air with lightning speed and precision. Plates and utensils were hurled with pin point accuracy catching foods and sauces alike, dropping in artfully arranged perfect placement. And it was all happening at once with nothing more than a few shouts here and there. The whole group moved like one connected creature in perfect harmony with one another. The far end of the kitchen was rapidly piling up with dishes that were whisked away by more dudes in black. Ron could only dream of someday being a sous chef with this kind of backup.

And through all the controlled chaos there seemed to be a shadow flitting through the melee of flying items. Ron knew if he had stepped into that whirlwind of cookery he'd be pasted within seconds.

_It can't be...IT IS. _"_Master Lunch Lady_?!" He shouted incredulously.

His eyes widened again to dinner plates (though still rather smaller than the ones being shot like shurikens in front of him) _Yori was totally playing me!_

* * *

Yori gave a delicate sneeze, covering her nose.

"We should probably get dry soon, where are our clothes Yori?" Kim asked in concern for her friend.

"Ah yes. I wished to discuss this while we bathed earlier. Come with me Possible-san, this is part of the help I mentioned." She quickly slid a paper door open that was connected to the bathing house. In the centre of the tatami floor lay two polished chests of wood. Kim was dutifully impressed by the delicate engravings and lavish colours on the surface. Unless she was mistaken the boxes were painted with a beautiful rendition of the sun and the moon, left and right respectively.

Yori made her way over to the "moon" box first kneeling down primly. A few snaps of two silver clasps and the lid unfolded gently under her ministrations. She reached in carefully drawing out a long silk material that was the purest white. Kim held up a hand to her mouth as Yori turned around to reveal a stunning white Kimono with red trim lining the interior. There seemed to be a bird motif near the bottom of the hem of the "dress", but for the most part it was like someone had gathered the material from freshly fallen snow.

"That's beautiful Yori."

"I am glad you think so Possible-san. We would be honoured if you wore it for the feast and dance."

"Wha-" Kim could hardly take her eyes off the item in Yori's hands. When it got through she snapped her mouth shut in surprise. "I couldn't Yori." she said shaking her hands frantically. "That's the most amazing (sorry Monique) piece of art I've ever seen. I wouldn't even want to begin to worry about getting it dirty, much less if it's a dress of yours."

Yori shook her head slowly pressing the dress gently into Kim's arms. "It is part of our gift to you and it honours another purpose." She sported a slightly teasing grin now. "Also, the other dress is mine, it would be most inadvisable to try wearing both."

Kim was torn. She wanted to try it on, who knew when she would have another chance at trying on something like this? She was also deathly curious about the other dress. If it was anything approaching the quality and craftsmanship of the one she had now...

She smiled in defeat. "Okay Yori, you win this time." She moved quickly to go behind one of the screens at the end of the room. She was therefore surprised when Yori followed after her.

Catching Kim's curious gaze Yori smiled holding out her hands. "No disrespect intended Possible-san, it is only that these kimono's can be rather hard to put on for the first time. If you will allow me, I will assist you in putting it on properly."

Flashing a smile in understanding Kim nodded and both girls made their way behind the screen. Kim felt impressed all over again when it seemed within moments Yori had her fully fitted out in what was a rather voluminous dress, if the weight was anything to go by.

She stepped back with Yori to access the fit in a convenient full length mirror. She couldn't help but smile upon seeing herself, a reaction echoed by Yori.

Then Yori began to whisper into her ear. The Kim in the mirror smiled wider.

* * *

Ron was sweating again.

He was blindfolded and in one hand he had the Lotus Blade, which he had willed into a cooking knife.

"Sorry Sensei, I had to try" he said softly. He reckoned the Lotus Blade still counted him as pure of heart since it had obediently shifted into the form he desired.

He heard the soft tensing of breath and then with a shout it began. Ron began to twist and flail, the forms and katas he practised shortly during his stay here, and some of the sparring he did recently with Kim coming back to him. It was all that kept him from being pasted. Another shout indicating sashimi. He spun in that direction and lashed out his hand being guided by the power of the blade as he cleanly cut a fillet of salmon cleanly into 8 neat even parts (or at least he hoped he had.)

Master Lunch Lady watched with a sly cackle as the blonde haired boy moved furiously reacting to plates and tossed ingredients. She gave him another 5 minutes. He lasted 8.

Finally, he missed a step ducking a plate and was slapped in the back with some eel. The storm immediately stopped, some ingredients even being picked out of thin air to those who had the eyes to see it.

Ron was smiling, but obviously exhausted. He took off his makeshift blindfold and bowed to everyone. "Thanks for the training guys. I can't believe you can do all that Master Lunch Lady!"

She smiled toothily before pointing to the back.

"Aw...c'mon, I came close right? 10 minutes, I'm sure that was at least 7!"

She raised an eyebrow pointing more sternly.

The mystical monkey master stuck out his tongue at the old lady and stomped off to begin washing the dishes.

"Rufus can you believe this? I thought I'd finally be getting some respect here!"

"**Uh' huh! M'! Me'**" the pink naked mole rat jumped up and down excitedly pointing at himself.

"Fine, but don't come to me if you don't last long!" Ron said huffing.

Rufus moved over to the Lotus Blade and with another pop it shifted into two smaller cooking blades, one in each hand.

Ron groaned. "Man why didn't I think of that? How did you even get it to change into two Rufus?"

Rufus was already back in the centre of the circle where a small circle of flour had been marked out along the tiles. He pulled a thin piece of black cloth cut from his master's blindfold and proceeded to meditate once it was secured over his eyes.

Once he was ready he held up both blades in the air to signal his readiness.

The legend of the pink master, Rufus-sama grew again that night, legend saying he lasted for 30 full minutes (although some reckoned that was exaggeration and it was really more like 20).

Master Lunch Lady had been recorded as having whistled in admiration before cackling even louder.

* * *

_It really is incredible what you can do with a whole school full of ninjas. _Ron thought to himself again in a daze.

The center stone courtyard was laid out in grand style. A stage with a beautiful embroidery depicting the mountains and clouds had been set up near the end of the courtyard, the large castle itself serving as a backdrop framing everything. On either side, two torches were lit illuminating the stage, casting shadows that flickered and danced creating a hazy, enchanting atmosphere. Along the ring of the walls small lanterns were hung casting the grounds in a soft muted glow. And to top it all off, on either side of the walls the sakura blossoms that were in full spring bloom shifted and rustled, sending tiny delicate glowing white pink petals fluttering in the wind across the whole area. One could be lost tracing a single falling petal on it's path in the air.

Leading to the elevated stage was a long blood red carpet that ran the length of the courtyard beginning at the gate and ending on the stage right up to the stand. Long dining tables were set up on either side of the carpet with cushions instead of chairs, and inter-spaced were tiny lighted candles revealing beautiful works of culinary art that could hardly be consumed because disturbing them would be a crime.

Ron sat across from Sensei at the head of one of the tables closer to the stage. "Sensei this is absolutely badical. Ninja style decorations hurricane rock! I'm totally copying some of this when _Hana_ opens up!"

"You are opening up Hana?" Sensei asked more in confusion than worry and alarm.

"Huh oh! No, NO. I meant I'm uh... opening up a food joint back home called _Hana_ in my little sis' honour." Ron tried to explain quickly.

"That is a wonderful name young Stoppable-san. I am sure it will be an auspicious venture." Sensei said with another warm twinkle.

"It's not suspicious at all! Okay, so I may have borrowed Hana's cute power to sell it but other than that it's legit, I promise!"

Sensei chuckled again. "Relax, Stoppable-san, I merely wished to convey that I am sure your, restaurant will be blessed with great fortune."

"Oh. Now you're talking Sensei! And we've got food, and this great set up! Now all we're missing is Kim and Yori! Where are they?"

"I believe they will be along shortly." Sensei said with a curious smile. "May I inquire where Rufus-san is? I have heard much of his exploits this afternoon."

"Oh man you heard about that? I swear Master Lunch Lady totally goaded me into it! I'll never use the Lotus Blade like that again!"

"I will not chastise you Ron-san, if the Lotus Blade sees fit to follow your will I will not judge."

"Thanks, that was a relief. As for Rufus I think your students captured him. They said something about seeking council of the wise and venerable Rufus-sama I think." Ron was confused when Sensei threw his head back with a great laugh. He was about to ask what was so funny when traces of music started.

And then it began.

* * *

The faint stirrings of a lute or flute that trilled a hauntingly beautiful melody that made it's way through the conversations, silencing them one by one as people turned their attention to the stage. As the flutes began to pick up once more, the pounding of a drum in rhythmic, hypnotic fashion started. Slow and steady then increasing in speed, beating into the air like a heart beat. And at the climax of that beat, a cymbal crash from a giant gong whose reverberations echoed, drowning out everything else until there was a note of silence once more.

The entirety of Yamanouchi held their breath as they waited in tense silence for... _there_. The faint melody by strings too delicate and soft to make out at first,

then _rising_,

_blending_,

_harmonizing_,

growing in strength until everyone could feel their blood singing in time.

And the drums and the flutes continued their soft cadence balancing the flight of strings, neither overpowering the other, until another gong crash echoed through the courtyard once more.

_Two celestial figures seemed to materialize on the roof of the gate, a slight breeze picking up the material of their dresses causing it to flutter in the air. _

Some of the students at the back began to murmur and slowly everyone seated turned around to look.

The continued beating of drums rising and ebbing.

_The dying sunset provided just enough light to illuminate them from behind casting them in a golden haze._

The soft touch of flutes.

_One wreathed in the purest white and the other in a black that seemed to shine as it soaked up the last of the light._

A bright sweet note clear as a bell rising like a shooting star before dying out_._

_Then they leapt down together, a stream of smooth silk trailing after them onto the... _

Another beautiful melody by the strings soaring over the crowd, spinning around the figures, the crowd, elevating everything higher.

_Red carpet where with a quick flip they began to dance._

_Like figures out of a dream in poetic motion playing off each other. _

The glow from the lanterns giving the white figure with a stream of red hair an otherworldly glow.

_Sometimes ducking, sometimes leaping in a way that defied gravity itself. _

The shifting petals seemed to brush against the figure wrapped in obsidian, twirling in time with her motions creating an aura of white sakura blossoms, like tiny stars flitting across the night.

_Coming close, but never quite touching in their never ending whirlwind of beauty. _

The crowd felt their collective breath start to fail, afraid to disturb this perfect moment with a noise.

Then the music began to build as the figures ran forward. Exhibiting a freedom and joy of movement evident in every action.

_The one in white, moving with strong assured moments, every **leap,** every **spring**... pushing her high up into the air like **fire** given human form trying to escape into the air itself... _

Food completely forgotten now by everyone.

_The one in black more **fluid**, **nimble**, and **quick** in her movements, sweeping and circling, her form beautiful and graceful, channeling the spirit of water._

Finally after what seemed like forever, and yet in no time at all the pair made their way up the stage.

_And stilled_. Just as the music ended.

The sunset finally ending, dimming the whole courtyard except for the stage. Shadows, fire light, and wispy brushes of smoke distorting their edges, once more reinforcing the fairy tale quality of the whole performance.

Then the solid ***BOOM** of a drum being struck hard.

_The two figures split up each making their way to the edge of the stage with careful measured strides._

***BOOM**

_Simultaneously, like two parts of a whole they settled into stances swirling around, their kimonos flaring out like blossoming flowers. Every muscle tense under the silk. _

_***BOOM**_

_Crashing together in a furious display of martial prowess. Sparring, dueling, circling each other. Shifting, in a never ending search for advantage, defense, offense, testimony to a lifetimes pursuit of physical training. Then the black figure retreated it seemed, gaining space for a moment. _

***_BOOM BOOM_**

_Shooting her arms out causing her sleeves to billow, and suddenly as if by magic a pair of golden fans appeared in her hands. With another sharp snap the fans were spread and the dark figure settled into a new stance, battle fans at the ready._

***BOOM BOOM**

_Now the battle changed. The golden fans catching the fire light and creating arcs of gold as they reflected into the crowd. Part performance, part deadly ballet. For an indeterminable period this continued as the white figure moved faster, a blur of movement ducking and dodging, trying to disarm and then retreating herself._

***BOOM BOOM BOOM**

_The black figure seemed to pause one arm folded behind her back another fan coming up to shield her face. The figure in white gave a smile? And with a similar motion as the black figure snapped out her arms, revealing two red battle fans. The golden fans waved mockingly and the battle was rejoined._

***BOOM BOOM BOOM**

_The battle seemed to reach a fever pitch and the sight of the two warriors, their shadows flickering behind them as they all but flew would be forever engraved in the hearts and minds of those lucky enough to witness this night._

*_**BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM**_

_A furious movement that resulted in both of them trapped with a blade against each others throats. Both figures breathing hard, bodies heaving even as the battle fans stayed absolutely still._

_Which smiled first? Impossible to tell. Then with another synchronized movement they whirled around to throw their fans straight into the air. And from behind the screen whizzed a trail of smoke shooting up in time with the trail of fans. _

_And as the two figures bowed to the crowd who were rising to their feet. _

_An explosion in the sky lit up the whole mountain range, spreading a golden mist of fireworks that sprinkled down like fairy dust into the roaring cheering crowd. _

* * *

**Authors note:** err... that was hard. Duno if I did it justice but here's hoping that was a fraction as awesome to you guys as what I had in mind. Oh well you do the best you can. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this, as much as I enjoyed trying to write it. See, there were answers... at least some of them.

Oh and thanks for the faves and alerts! As always I'd like to hear some feedback about this story, especially this chapter and how it ended.

* * *

**Preview:**

I believe you have questions for me Possible-san?

* * *

**Omake:**

1)

As the crowd wound down and finally began to eat the food it was a triumphant return as the two goddesses made their way back down the red carpet to be seated next to Sensei and Ron.

"KP...that was... I..."

"Badical?" she teased.

"Beyond Badical! You and Yori were...that was...I uh-"

"Thanks Ron, I'll take it you were impressed." Kim said smugly.

"Indeed I am glad you accepted my offer Kim-san. This would not have been possible without you."

"No big Yori. It was like a cheer routine, only with kung-fu sorta. It was a blast. Wish I could bring you back with me to the squad. We'd be unstoppable!"

2)

Hana had gotten loose and was on the run. She'd heard the music and sneaked out in time to witness the beginning of something truly memorable. She payed with keen attention beyond her years as the figures before her demonstrated mastery over their own forms. More than anything this moment would surface in her subconscious growing up and would show up in her dreams leading her down the path of mastery herself. She was so excited by what she had witnessed (even without fully understanding what she had seen) that she began rocking the sakura tree she was in, shaking the branches causing a veritable cloud of petals to rain down upon the appreciative audience below. Sensei seemed to give her a wink raising a small cup of sake in her direction.


	9. ERiaA: Home at Last

**Days of Hana**

_**Every Riddle is an Answer**_

_**by unwrittenaria**_

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* * *

  
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Disclaimer: none of the names, connected stuff belongs to me. This is a Disney/producer product. Just here to have some fun.

* * *

**Yamanouchi Ninja School**

The predawn cooling of the air served as a counterpart for her morning ritual. The soft thumping of rhythmic movement as a figure in a white gi flowed effortlessly from one stance to another across the wooden boards. A minute pause here, finishing with a sharp sweep and a blow aimed at the inner guard of an imagined enemy. This simple kata performed everyday, until it was done without need for conscious thought or reflection. Then smoothly settling back into a standing position to let her controlled breathing come back, as she felt the exercise clear her mind in preparation for the rest of the day.

Yori could feel every part of her body as she stood sweat beading, concentrating on stilling herself completely.

_It has been... more difficult than I anticipated. Seeing Hana-chan once more. There is, a part of me that wishes she could be taught here. Raised so that I might have.... a sister, a close friend, a confidant that is not Sensei..._

She felt her arm clench and breathed in and out once more.

She had friends here (amongst her fellow classmates), but her position as Sensei' eldest student and trusted right hand was undeniable. There was a polite distance that could not be bridged because of how the others perceived her, and had only grown once she graduated and was made an assistant instructor.

_It may be that Ron-sans' lack of apprehension and openness in first meeting me is what drew him to me. _She did not always think of the warrior-hero, but his presence now cast him back into the forefront of her mind.

_He seems to have no reservations when dealing with me, and whatever his mistakes it is easy to read his body language to discern his true intentions. It is... refreshing after the stoicism instilled in us as shinobi. _

She smiled faintly now recalling her first perception of the American teen. Wondering how he would hope to fare in battle, when he allowed his every thought and emotion to cross his face for all the world to see (much less be the chosen one).

_We have been taught not to discriminate between men and woman, beyond the superficial physical differences. _The students here were all respectful and had long acknowledged that Yori while beautiful was a superior, and they kept any such admiration to themselves. _It is... pleasant to be openly admired without the taint of dishonor. _

Then she wondered if perhaps he had learnt the art of drunken fist, it would certainly explain the fumbling chaos that seemed to help as much as it harmed in practice.

_I have since learned, Ron-san will... make "American-style" jokes at the most inopportune moments. _

Still she was pleased seeing all of them again. She had worried at first that Possi-_Kim_-san would be still feeling uneasy around her. Her fears had proven half correct. After last night though, they had formed a bond. Perhaps not as sisters, or even friends exactly, but a bond nonetheless.

She meditated for a moment on the memories of the celebration the night before. The food, the happiness, Ron-sans' demonstration on stage that ended with his pants falling off for the amusement of the audience, Rufus and Sensei performing together in an equally stunning display of prowess, and much more fond memories that would warm her thoughts in the months to come. A golden haze filtered the memories, whether from the fireworks or her emotions she decided... was unimportant.

Yori resolved to take advantage of this weekend, and further her bonds with each of the guests while the opportunity lasted.

* * *

Ron awoke slowly. Cursing the light that had filtered through what he felt, was an unjustly thin paper window.

_Have these people not heard of curtains?_

He groaned a little more, somehow it wasn't the light that had pulled him from what was a very welcome sleep.

"Wake!"

"Huh- whozzat?"

A light feminine laugh roused him further.

"Yori-wha?"

"I wish you good morning Stoppable-san. It is good that you are not a student here today. I fear the cold water would have been most unwelcome."

Ron was too groggy but he had a distinct feeling Yori was teasing him. _ Again! First with – Master Lunch Lady and now waking up. _He was glad though, Yori seemed to be at ease and if she was feeling comfortable enough to make jokes he'd play along.

"Very funny Yori, I'll bet it was real hilarious when they tossed in the bucket last-OOMPH!"

_Okay, is it just me or is Yori getting strangely giggly about everything?_

"I apologise Stoppable-san (in a tone that indicated she was not) it appears Hana can no longer wait for you to get up and play with her this morning. I would have stopped her, but she was rather... insistent on performing the honourable action of waking you."

The little mystical weapon of prophecy was happily running in place on Rons' stomach. He feared that he'd lose what he'd digested last night, and that would be a real shame (given what he remembered eating).

"Han-ooph, Big Brother is _up!_ Ouch! Yori _help! _My spleen is in great shape, and I need that liv-_"_ he struggled to sit up.

"I am happy to be of assistance." She said kneeling down to pick up the little girl (who she was quite sure was now doing triple back flips on her groan-exercise mat). _Little Han shows much promise indeed, she will grow to be very formidable. Yet I feel as if I have seen those movements not long ago. _She thought wonderingly.

"Thanks Yori."

She merely smiled holding on to Hana while Ron rolled out of his futon. "So what do we have to do to get some breakfast around here?" He asked wide awake. He looked around to the otherwise empty room. "And where's Kim?"

"Kim-san asked to speak to Sensei while you were asleep. If you wish, after you partake of the morning meal I will arrange for you to meet her and Sensei."

"Oh, right. Kim wanted to ask Sensei some questions about the Ron-man." He bounced up stretching. "Morning Meal you say? What're we still waiting here for?" He said excitedly.

"**Morn'n Y'ri" **As always the mention of food however weirdly phrased, got the legendary pink-sama out of his warm burrowing grounds in a hurry.

Yori waved pleasantly. "Good morning Rufus-dono. Your battle with Sensei was most impressive last night. Many poems will be dedicated in your honour."

Rufus turned a darker shade, and seemed to scratch the floor with this foot shyly. "**Aw'ww... Thank's"**

Yori leaned down helping the little naked mole rat climb onto her shoulder.

Ron turned from the hallway to look at the group. He scratched his head grinning fondly at Yori who was being mugged by both Hana and Rufus. "_Hmph_' some ninja girls get all the love."

Yori finally had the decency to blush.

* * *

Kim Possible moved quickly following the headmaster of Yamanouchi. She had, despite last night's late night festivities gotten up rather early. _Today's our last day here, don't think the rents will buy 'secret ninja school' as an excuse to skip school. So I've gotta get some answers now._

She tried to keep her anticipation from showing, somehow it didn't seem right to be too eager in the face of Sensei' rather serene countenance.

_Kim Possible can poker face with the best of them. _She resolved to prove herself to the master ninja.

Sensei wound his way outside of the school walls towards the bamboo garden. Inexplicably, there was a small clearing there and a small pagoda. He made his way up the steps and sat down carefully after first motioning Kim towards the stone stool. Once she was seated, he joined her sitting across with what looked like a go board etched into the stone table between them.

"Sensei?"

"Ah, I come out here often. It is my favourite place to meditate... and I find it relaxing to play a game of go when I desire to understand someone."

She raised her eyebrows curiously at the table which seemed to have sprouted two brown boxes. Sensei continued to speak as he uncovered both setting one to each side. "It is a game of strategy much like similar games as Western Chess, or Shogi. We find it beneficial that our students play against each other to develop their intuition, tactics, and ability to read ahead."

Kim smiled. "When I was part of the budgeting committee for clubs in Middleton High, the chess club members wanted more money to buy a few sets. I think I remember playing a few games."

"Excellent, I hope you will indulge an old man his whimsy, a game?" He said eyes dancing as he pushed the box with the black pieces towards her.

She nodded carefully. "It would be my honour." She said inclining her head lightly, a curtain of her hair coming down to hide her smile (at the unusual phrase for her).

"I believe we can dispense with the handicaps." He said settling his hand into the box to grasp a white piece.

"Er, sure." Kim replied, she suspected she was about to get creamed, but hadn't backed down from a challenge before (and most def wasn't about to start now). She made her move first setting a piece into one of the larger black dots in the corner.

As they began to play Sensei continued to talk, seemingly having no trouble responding and thinking of a strategy at the same time.

"Possible-san, I understand you wish to ask me questions?"

She nodded. "I'm not sure how to say this, so I'm sorry if I seem blunt." Sensei nodded kindly while he connected one of his pieces.

"I'm worried about Ron, he's been demonstrating a lot of things that I..." and here she paused recalling just when she had last seen a super-competent Ron. "- associate with a Ron that isn't the one I know and care for. I suspect it has something to do with his Mystical Monkey Power, but no one else really has information on that besides you." She began to attack one of his formations her frustration matching her style of play. Fast and furious offence.

"Stoppable-san has been demonstrating other abilities? We were able to converse yesterday and I have learned of his connection with his sister and Rufus-san." He responded in point with Kim's moves but not by defending, merely spreading the skirmish to other expanses of the board.

Kim chewed her lip at the new areas of attack. "I got that feeling, but Ron's been putting Hana in danger. Then he built this whacked out gadget to protect her too. Machines are Zor-not Ron's deal." She said hurriedly placing the last black piece to surround a handful of white pieces.

Sensei watched as she captured some of his stones before laying a trap. "And you fear that the power within Stoppable-san will lead to the resurfacing of Zorpox?" He deftly ignored the surprised gasp from the redheaded teenager.

Kims' smile was a tad strained as she pushed ahead trying to form a pair of eyes in her land. "Right, Ninja surveillance, probably right up there with Wade huh?"

To her surprise Sensei let out a hearty guffaw. "Wade-san is very capable indeed, and you have given us a high compliment indeed to put us on even standing." He continued stroking his beard cheerfully, "I would merely say we each have our... advantages." Before capturing a few of Kim's pieces ruining her formation.

_He's playing at a higher level then me, but not obviously enough to be crushing. More like... instructing. So what does he want me to learn? _She thought furiously trying to recapture her losses.

By now it was near the end game and Kim could sense that she would lose out in territory. "Sensei you still haven't explained what the sitch is with Ron. How's he doing these new things? And what was with that Lotus Blade you gave him?" She was down to the last battle, over whether this set of stones would live or die.

"You ask hard questions Possible-san. As I have told Stoppable-san I can only tell you what I have gleaned from our ancient texts, and my understanding upon studying them. I pray that you take what I impart with reserve." He placed a black stone square into her territory. This would be the end one way or another. Kim was too busy trying to read ahead to nod.

"I have suspected that Stoppable-san has much potential in him-" Kim looked up smiling at this. "I called him potential-boy for quite a few years growing up." Sensei nodded. "Indeed, both of you have known one another, and thus formed a bond that allows you to see each others strengths and weaknesses quite well. The Mystical Monkey Power I believe that grows within Stoppable-san is like a stream that has been obstructed by rocks. It is sporadic because of his lack of control, but I believe in time he will be able to do great things with it."

_He must overcome his fear of the power in due time. There is much that destiny prepares in trials that young Stoppable-san must overcome, if he is to help Possible-san and achieve greatness together with her. _

Kim seemed to relax but her brow was furrowed. They began to sort out the pieces counting out territories. She lost but not by a landslide, (although she knew Sensei wasn't playing his hardest which tweaked her) and overall was more than happy to have gained some clues about what the deal was with Ron.

_A stream obstructed huh, well that fits with the way Ron described his brain jolt for the S.H.I.N.O.B.I __gear. But the real question is what happens when the rocks get washed away? _

Even as she ruminated a future with Ron at full Monkey Power she began to clean up her pieces, depositing them in the box.

"It has been most rewarding to play you Possible, you show great intuition and the ability to think ahead when cornered. If I were to give you advice, I would suggest you take a moment to pause before you rush in. You are yet young, strong, and invincible but those are not qualities one can indulge in forever." Sensei said slowly, making sure ever word slipped into her mind (where it would rest before surfacing occasionally).

_Hey anything is Possible for a Possible! _Kim began to think automatically. Then she thought again for a moment about what Sensei was trying to impart to her. She knew she had a tendency to just jump in with both feet, confident that she'd come out on top. It had cost her before, and sometimes it was Ron's fears and worries that kept them from both just leaping head long into danger. That cautiousness was partly learned by her when she took into account how to keep both of them safe on missions.

"Thanks for the advice Master Sensei, I'll... do my best to keep it in mind." She said bowing again politely.

"And now I believe you have other suitors waiting for a chance to duel with you." Sensei said with amusement finally putting away the boxes as he stood up.

"The ninjas who've been hiding here?"

"Hah, students your concealing studies still need more practice." Sensei said into the grove around them. From thin air it seemed, a full battalion of Ninjas appeared, clad in black from head to toe bowing to Sensei (with perhaps a touch of indignation at having been discovered and chastised.) "May I enquire as to what betrayed their presence? It would be most _beneficial_ when I assign extra hours of concealment training."

"No big Master Sensei, and I have to give Ron the credit, he was showing Hana some action flicks and whenever there's a grove like this Ninja's are always hiding in plain sight." She said with a smile and a wave.

Sensei shook with silent laughter in a way that few of the students had seen since.

"So why _do_ they want to challenge me if you don't mind me asking?" Kim said with a grin even as she warmed up, after all it'd be a great workout and challenge.

Sensei wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "I believe the show of your prowess last night inspired them. Yori is one of our top students and your battle while a demonstration, was no less impressive than hers."

Kim moved to the centre of the open area surrounded on all sides, and settled into a stance knifing her hands. "Ready when you are boys." she said with a confident grin.

* * *

Breakfast had been a light meal after the feasting and drinking of the night before. Still the traditional Japanese breakfast was delicious (if not quite filling enough for a growing boy and his mole rat.)

_Oh well there's always BN when we head home today. _The thought could have come from either or both of the "boys".

Once they were finished with breakfast the group led by Yori, headed towards one of the gates. They passed by most of the students without raising too much fuss (although Rufus got a lot of bows, or maybe it was the white beard prop he had adopted), aside from some polite greetings exchanged with Yori.

"Time to fess up Yori, how'd you get Hana all over you like that?" Asked Ron in his best interrogation voice.

"I-I do not understand, Stoppable-san?" Said a Yori who was flustered for the first time that Ron could recall since her worry when Sensei was in danger.

"Ha, and they think I'm good at playing dumb! C'mon Yori she's on you like... white on chalk! You're bamboozling her with some kind of Ninja-mind trick aren't you?"

A semblance of calm was restored to Yori's bearing. "If you are referring to Hana-chan's closeness I assure you it is no deception on my part. I am most pleased that she remembered me."

"**Hu'h?" **Rufus asked for Ron's sake.

"I was the guardian of little Han while she resided at Yamanouchi. We developed a close bond-"

"Like sisters! I remember you said that." Ron said in excitement at remembering the phrase.

"Indeed, she is very much like family to me, since I have none myself. I am one without parentage, like this little one." She said smiling a little softer at the toddler in her arms. "She was of great comfort to me, knowing I was not alone. As Sensei has been, ever since he allowed me to stay when he found me as a child."

Ron was aghast at Yori's background. "Yori...I didn't know. I'm uh... really sorry. If it weren't for my parents Hana might have stayed with you."

Yori was once again a serene pool. "It is as I have once told you, Stoppable-san and Kim Possible. It is change, and we must welcome change if we are to accept our destiny. Hana-chan's destiny lies with you and your family. I do not begrudge her that life or that love." She seemed to smile wistfully at him for a second before the normal placidity returned to her.

He reached out taking her by the shoulders. "Yori, you are always welcome to stop by at our house and see Hana if you want. Me casa is your casa, okay?" He said seriously. Hana cooed in agreement kissing Yori's cheek with a soft bump, and laughing when Yori kissed her cheek as well.

"It is a most... gracious offer Stoppable-san."

"Oh, and while the offer stands I'd like a little heads up so that Kim doesn't get the... uh impression there's another mission to save Sensei...unless of course there is, in which case you can-." He babbled wondering how he'd explain this one. "Woah, you call Kim, Kim-san and I'm still Stoppable-san?" He said latching on to an out.

"It is only polit-" she began. "Nope, I'll revoke visitation rights if you do. C'mon you can do it, call me Ron-san. I mean... unless we aren't friends, oh man! I'm sorry, bond of honour doesn't mean friends right?" He began, suddenly nervous that he'd overstepped some kind of weird cultural boundary.

She giggled. "Again with the _American-style_ misunderstanding of relationships Ron-san." She smiled a beautiful smile this time. "We are of course, friends."

* * *

Sensei was intrigued by what he saw. Kim Possible was more than holding her own against the last few challengers. That she had taken at least over half the group, besting them was no small feat in his eyes. They were not graduates true, but they were an advanced class all the same.

_It seems the breadth of her styles in tandem with her aerial skills and flexibility, have created quite a formidable challenge. A physical prodigy, although saying so would do her a discredit to the effort put forth in learning sixteen styles of kung-fu. I suspect she may well learn a few more in time. What an amazing capacity to adapt. It is a shame we cannot invite her to stay longer and train here, it would be a wonderful opportunity for both her and Yamanouchi. _

Kim was definitely breathing a little harder than when this had begun. The ninja's were no slouches and rated about slightly below Shego with no plasma in her mind. They were also slowly adapting to her curious mixture of cheer moves and kung-fu. It would have been tricky fighting off more than one of them at the same time, but so far they were all honourable one on one sparring matches. She finally caught a lucky break, spotting an opening that developed when her latest opponent rebounded off a bent bamboo stalk from right out of Ron's movies.

_Alright one down five left to go. _She was grinning hard now as she bowed at the same time as her last opponent once he landed.

The remaining ninjas seemed reluctant to decide who went next when Sensei called out. "A moment Possible-san. If I may suggest a challenge?" She was intrigued and quickly assented.

"I would like to see you take on the last five students at the same time. In studying you while you fought, I can see that you have indeed come close to mastering many different styles of kung-fu." She gave a reserved grin at the acknowledgment. "However, most of your fighting is textbook, you respond to the opponents style with the "correct" style to counter it. Your incorporation of cheer leading skills offsets the predictability of your actions, giving you room to counter and regroup. I would for you this time to focus on shifting from one style to another by instinct, without resorting to escaping. Search for the most efficient manner in all of the forms you have mastered with your intuition. I believe you have the experience to form your own style in time, if you can master this challenge."

Kim's eyes widened, she hadn't thought much of blending styles together, or switching between forms interchangeably at will. She had planned some of her fights, using one style to lead to a finishing blow with another. But she had certainly never considered developing her own form of kung-fu. In some ways she felt she already had with the cheer leader moves, but Sensei was right in that she used those moves (mostly) to gain space or duck out of a tight spot.

The teen hero stood there for a moment trying to calm her rising excitement. Too much emotion and she'd fall into her regular routine, and was beginning to appreciate the complexity of what Sensei was asking from her.

_Time to live up to the old family motto. Possible, you can do anything! _Mental cheer complete she settled into a neutral stance once more.

* * *

Hirotaka felt worried for a moment that it would be dishonourable (sparring 5 against 1), but he trusted _Sensei_ to know best. And Kim Possible certainly lived up to her reputation. He might have been more interested in the teen if she had shown this side of her while he was an exchange student.

_I was drawn to Rockwaller-san because she kept her cool around me, presented more of a challenge than the other girls. And of course she was quite beautiful. _He thought with a grin hidden by the mask of his No. 1 girlfriend whom he still occasionally kept in contact with.

Regardless it would be remiss of him not to test his skills against the world renowned teen hero, and partner to the chosen one. With quick motions he directed his juniors to surround her in a classical five point formation. Then almost as one they sprang into action.

He aimed for disabling her shoulder with a quick strike (whatever he may be Hirotaka would never hit a girl in her face), which was blocked, and countered with an elbow to the back of his hand while she spun in position to deliver a kick with her momentum, to a ninja aiming for her exposed back.

_Fascinating, forced to "handicap" herself she is still intuitively able to grasp the correct forms and styles to blend defence and offence in an efficient manner. _Thought Sensei upon studying Kim's reaction to four juniors (and one elder student if he read the body shape and forms correctly).

_She has also unconsciously stopped holding back, her speed and strength have noticeably increased from the beginning of the fights. Is it because there are only five opponents left, or because she is entering the final sprint of her reserves? _He stroked his beard in rapt attention at the training before him, wondering if there was anything he could adapt in his own lessons here.

"_Whoa_! Ninja ambush! **GO KP**!" rang a boisterous voice in the clearing. The combatants were too focused on their fighting to acknowledge the newcomer as it was, and all of them were well trained enough to stifle their reaction to any surprises during missions.

"Stoppable-san I ... not believe .... is .... ambush. I ... Sensei... training." Yori kept her voice down while talking to Ron, and was therefore harder to make out in the midst of the grunting and exchanging of blows.

"M!" cried a little girl at the sight of the teen heroine battling it out with 5 black figures. Yori was forced to tighten her grip on Hana when she began to punch and kick in mimicry of what she was seeing.

Hirotaka was impressed all over again. They certainly had her pressed on all sides, and her furious stream of blows were finally starting to slow. (One of her chops had already knocked down one of the five.)

She had started to aim for one ninja in particular, hoping to focus on one opponent so she could slowly break down the group. Had the others not run interference, it was likely she would have succeeded. He himself had been a focus early on and her rapidly shifting styles that changed in the blink of an eye, (such that it seemed like attacks came out of nowhere all at once) was hard to counter.

_If we were to stick to one style or two I might win, sixteen interchangeable styles is another thing. _He had no compunctions admitting that he might be able to tie at best in a one on one fight against her.

_It is a testament both to Sensei' guidance and Possible-san's aptitude that a few words has increased her effectiveness this much. Seeing her fight at first, I could still sense openings when she used her aerobatics. She was fast, but given time I might have been able to wear her down enough to land a solid blow. _

Kim was a whirlwind of feet and palm strikes, a dervish of teen fury and pain to anyone who drew near. Another Ninja went down when she connected a hit to his side, long enough for her to hip throw him into another student who was getting up.

_Now grounded, and forced to conserve her resources against a larger force she has come up with some truly brilliant combinations. All this after taking down at least 10 or more advanced students. Still it would not do to tarnish the pride of Yamanouchi. _

He headed at her in a dead run and employed his own mix of styles and waited. _There! _ He feinted high then low, and while she hesitated for a fraction of a second determining the best move, he drove his leg into her inner step throwing off her balance. Seeing the challenger unbalanced, the last ninja finally manage to snap a kick into her shoulder even as she desperately twisted to the side, lashing out with her other arm catching her attacker in the chin. However, the glancing blow put her in the path of a palm strike into her stomach sending her crashing into one of the nearby shoots.

"KP!" Came the worried cry of her boyfriend. He'd seen her take hits before, (mostly from Shego) but it was never good to see again (even when it was a relatively friendly match like this one).

Kim coughed a little, her pride hurting more than her health. _Okay that might not be true tomorrow morning, felt like I went four rounds with Shego. _A gloved hand appeared in her vision as she was pushing herself up off the ground, once she had rolled off her back. She looked up as Hirotaka removed his mask, spiky hair drooping a little from sweat.

He grinned at her. "I propose a tie Possible-san. We would not have "defeated" you had you not been tired, and handicapped from your usual moves."

She took the hand grinning back a little. "No... thanks Hirotaka, but I lost that one. That was harder than I thought it'd be, not using my cheer moves. Almost felt like I was fighting with an arm tied behind my back."

"I suspect also, that moment's pause will not be there should it ever by my honour to cross fists with you once again Possible-san." He said bowing to her hands clasped.

"You can count on it." She agreed with a confident grin bowing in return.

Ron bounded over with Yori in tow behind him. Hana was given victory spoils (and a victory lap, but who's counting?) and was jumping up and down ninja corpses.

"KP they were totally ganging up on you!" He moved discreetly to her back and whispered behind his hand. "Do I needa fight this guy for your honour or something? Yori says it was training but..."

"That's sweet Ron, but you can amp down. Like Yori said this was just a training sitch by Master Sensei."

"That was a most impressive display Kim-san. Hirotaka is one of our most skilled fighters." She glanced around at the small crowd of ninjas doing their best to hide their injuries.

"It was no-okay sorta big. Now Ron I think we should stay another day so I can give this another sho-" Kim began fire burning in her eyes at a new challenge to overcome.

Yori gave a light laugh at the way the ninjas within ear shot seemed to disappear from view once they heard Kim.

Ron laughed nervously, and decided Hirotaka looked to be just a tad anxious to leave now. "Uh Kim, I think we have school. Besides I'm sure-"

Sensei clapped his hands. "Well done Kim Possible, a most fitting display. If you can keep what you have considered today in mind I see great progress within you. Now if my students would be excused I would like to speak to Stoppable-san, and Kim-san alone."

_Thank Toshimiru. _Hirotaka thought to himself. He gathered up his fellow classmates and made a brisk exit. Yori caught Hana, who was doing her best to capture all the "hidden" ninjas (so far she had uncovered about 6 of them.)

Rufus decided he'd play nanny this time. Hana had already gotten away once last night, at least with him around she was more likely to stay in one place.

* * *

"So what's this about Sensei? If it's about the kitchenware I broke while I was washing dishes, I already apologized to Master Lunch Lady."

"Ron!"

"The broken plates are a shame, but that is not why I asked both of you to stay behind." Sensei reassured the blond with a cowlick. He turned to Kim. "I believe you asked about the Lotus Blade before? Ron-san if you would hold out the Lotus Blade now."

Ron swallowed nervously but figured Sensei must have been okay with revealing the secret to Kim. He thumbed the light blue bracelet where it transformed into it's usual form, a glittering katana.

"One magic, shape changing sword KP. It even comes back like a boomerang...er not that I plan to test that of course!"

"That's beautiful Ron. Wait it changes...shape?" She thought back to the day at the mall with the shield that had appeared out of nowhere. "So that's what it was... Ron that's incredible! Why haven't you been using this on missions?" She asked momentarily incensed that Ron had been hiding something so useful.

Ron rubbed his neck nervously. "Well it is the Lotus..._Blade _KP. It's cool and all, but like I told Sensei over here I didn't want to go lopping off any fingers or anything."

She nodded in sudden understanding. Certainly there had been a few close calls with mission gear over the years._ Actually now that I think about it, Ron with a shape shifting sword really scares me. Is that wrong of me?_

She did her best to hide her sudden doubt at the idea of Ron having a really sharp magic stick. "Okay but couldn't you have used it as a shield? We could have ducked a few less lasers that way."

"If I may intercede Possible-san. The Lotus Blade is a holy artifact, it has...a will of it's own due to its connection with the Mystical Monkey Power. While Ron-san remains pure of heart it will follow his will, but should he ever use it for selfish gains it would reject him. And have you not proven yourself just now to be more than capable of handling the "missions" you speak of?"

Kim was appeased... slightly. "Point. We did okay before the magical sword, but I'd like to know there are no more secrets between us now. _Right_ Ron?" She said turning with her hands on hips (in a classic girlfriend should be appeased now pose).

"I think that covers my end of ancient mystical artifacts, KP. I'll tell you if I trip over any when I clean out the garage again."

"Maybe you'd find some if you cleaned out your room." She ribbed gently.

"Ahem," Sensei cleared his throat and was amused to see them turn back quickly, both flushing a little. "It is a shame Possible-san, but I have asked Stoppable-san to return the Lotus Blade to Yamanouchi for safe-keeping for a little longer."

"Huh? Why now Sensei?" Kim asked a little worried it was Rons' punishment for revealing the secret to her.

Ron quickly gave her a condensed version of his talk with Sensei yesterday about their powers, and the Lotus Blades' possible effect on them.

_That might explain the... although I'd have no way to prove it really. Well that and I'd have to find someone besides Monkey Fist and Yamanouchi grads to believe me even if I could._

Out loud Kim said "That's fine with me Ron. I'm trying to trust you, but I have to admit the idea of you with something sharp when you're not in the kitchen does kinda scare me a little. _Only _because I'm worried you'd get hurt Ron." She said quickly in case she hurt his feelings.

He grinned ruefully. "Hey no worries Kimila, like I said I was worried I'd slit my belt a few times myself. One day though..."

"Yah, one day Ron." She smiled in encouragement trying to convey her trust in him.

There was little ceremony as Sensei brought out a familiar flat wooden case, and once the Lotus Blade was resting on the velvet lining, both quickly disappeared.

_I swear that's some ninja trick with the clothes I've got to learn! Think of all the snacks I could fit in there. _Thought Ron as Sensei did his ninja bunny in a hat trick.

"Kim Possible, and Ron Stoppable. It is good to have seen you both once more, I am sure you will do yourselves great honour in your care for Hana. Till the next time destiny brings us together." He said bowing deeply before floating away in a bubble.

"He really does like to make an exit." Kim said once the blue bubble disappeared.

"He's shown off before."

Kim and Ron smiled at each other and started to make their way back to the school.

It was time to get Hana and Rufus and go home.

* * *

Yori was stoic again when it came time to part. She walked the team down, and the whole school seemed to turn up to say goodbye to the group that would be talked about for quite a while to come.

She gave one last hug to Hana, and then waved to the rest of Team Possible as they left on the return bus. Her smile was true though, when Ron shouted his promise to her about visiting him and Hana when she wanted, with a suddenly stiff smiling Kim Possible.

Still it seemed they had come to some kind of agreement.

"Take care of both of them Kim-san. I wish you well." She said as Kim was about to board.

"You can count on me, Yori. I won't let either of them down, and I'm glad I got to know you better when there wasn't some crazy sitch going on." Kim smiled to the Japanese woman she had arrived worrying about, and left feeling like one she could call a friend.

"Of course, it was_ my_ honour to have known each of you." Yori said. She stayed for a while returning the waves from the group at the back of the bus window, Hana in particular.

Once they were out of sight she made her way back up the mountain and pondered the pools of destiny and change once more.

* * *

**Middleton**

The plane ride was a quick one it seemed, or maybe they fell asleep again. Once they were up though this time they would be free-falling. Something that had Ron fairly annoyed when he found out from Kim.

"Argh...more sweets, Kim I'm going to be broke if we bring Hana along every time." He grumbled even as he strapped in his little sister and Rufus.

"_C'mon_ Ron." Kim said eager to get home. She gave a quick shout of "Thanks!" to the captain and then fell out of the door riding the wind.

_Commercial flights are nice, but this is what I love!_

Ron checked his pack once more before looking at both of his charges. They gave him a thumbs up and he sighed. _I know it's like Ron a million, ground 0 (so to speak) so far, but eventually... _he thought with resignation. Then knowing he couldn't put it off any longer jumped out screaming at the top of his lungs which seemed just hilarious to his younger sister (which of course wouldn't have been so funny if she had swallowed a fly like Ron did on their way down).

They actually aimed for Ron's house this time for the drop off point. Kim landed with her usual grace, touching down lightly and well on her way to collecting her parachute before Ron had even pulled his. She'd learned to play a game of judging how close Ron was by the sound of his yell (with her eyes close of course). She estimated maybe another hundred yards (Ron had a pretty decent sent of lungs on him after all).

The Ron factor was in full force and he snagged a branch from the tree house as he came down. Mysteriously the harness opened in time from the hitch, allowing him to fall more or less on his feet.

"Good going Ron! See you're finally getting the hang of it after all!" Kim congratulated him, hoping it'd bolster his confidence (and mean less neighbor complaints about loud noises late at night, returning from missions).

"Think that was luck Kim. But the Rondo isn't going to argue with luck coming his way!" Ron left the parachute there in his hurry to unload at home.

Kim rolled her eyes and folded both of their chutes, stacking them by the house and following him in.

"Hana, Ronald!" Mr. Stoppable called out as they entered.

"Hey dad... mom. We're back, just gonna put Hana in her room. Long day guys." He said gesturing quickly, before moving up the stairs.

"Oh, hi Kim! Another mission?" asked Mrs. Stoppable propping his glasses.

"Hi Mr. Mrs. Stoppable. Uh-kinda. More fact-finding than anything. Umm... Mrs. Stoppable mind if I talk to you for a sec?" Kim said uncomfortably.

"Sure, Kim." she motioned her son's girlfriend into the pantry away from the living room where Mr. Stoppable sat with his newspaper.

"I didn't want to lie to you Mrs. Stoppable. I heard what you and Ron were arguing about before we left." Mrs. Stoppable's mouth and spectacles dropped an inch, before she held up her hand to cover her mouth blushing around the edges. Kim hurried on. "I'm sorry about that, but I just wanted to assure you I'll do everything I can to keep your boy, and Hana safe. That's always been a top priority, and it's only gotten more true since we've gotten together. Ron's family is my family no matter what happens to us in the future." She said gazing straight into the older woman's eyes brimming with (what she hoped was) reassurance and confidence.

Mrs. Stoppable slowly lost the look of embarrassed horror as Kim continued to elaborate her reason for speaking to her. She took Kim's hand in hers. "I know that dear. You've been looking out for Ronald ever since you two became best friends in pre-school." She paused smiling fondly at some recollection before locking onto Kim's face. "If you heard most of our conversation then, you'll know what I said about you. For what it's worth I am glad it was you he grew close to. You're such a remarkable young lady, and you've done so much good for my Ronnie."

"It goes both ways Mrs. Stoppable. He's helped me a lot too just by being there for me when I needed it." She tried to convey with words how much Ron meant to her, even as she knew it would come woefully short to explaining their bond.

Mrs. Stoppable shook her head regretfully. "I was worried at first that eventually you'd leave him behind. You were growing to be so pretty, smart, and popular and Ron has always been a little odd. I thought you were like a sister to him the way you two hung out, and I've worried when I could tell my son was beginning to like you... romantically. Like I said though, I'm glad it was you Kim. If he trusts you then I'll learn to too."

Kim felt her throat dry up. "Thanks Mrs. Stoppable. It means a lot to me hearing that from you." And it was, the Stoppables' certainly seemed supportive of their relationship, but had never openly come out to say it with words, or at least not in front of her. She felt a weight she hadn't even realized she was carrying fall off at Mrs. Stoppables' acceptance of her and Ron.

Mrs. Stoppable for her part was surprised to see the usually strong woman seem so... soft(?) for once, and realized it was because of her son. Then and there she decided on one more thing. "Kim, I've decided and while you don't have to accept I think me and my husband would be glad to have you and Ron be Hana's godparents."

Kim gaped. She understood what this meant, the question was did Mrs. Stoppable? "I-I-I'm flattered. Are you sure you want me and Ron to...?" She broke off tongue tied at the implications.

"_Oh_ Kim_,_ I don't mean now. Just... in case. Of course your parents would have custody until both of you came to be of age and proved you have the capabilities to care for her. But I would rest easier knowing that there'd be someone to look over her, and more so if it were the two of you." She said smiling. "I would never speak ill of my family, but I don't think Hana would enjoy being raised by Aunt June."

"Cousin Shawn?" Kim felt horror at the thought of putting Hana under that household. _Well Hana could probably make Shawn cry uncle if she wanted to but... all the same def a gorchy situation if I ever had to imagine one._

"If you trust Ron and I enough, I'd be," she couldn't help a tiny grin here. "_honoured_, to be Hana's godmother. And I know Ron would be pleased to know you trust him with her Mrs. Stoppable."

"I think if you're really going to be Hana's godmother you can call me Jean and Ron's father Dean now Kim." Jean Stoppable said kindly pushing the frames of her glasses up slightly.

Kim laughed a little and when Mrs. Sto-Jean gave her a curious glance she explained. "Sorry, had a similar experience, in reverse this weekend. I'll do my best... Jean." She said a little unsure but managing nonetheless.

_A little awkweird but feels kinda nice too. Is this what growing up feels like?_

"I think I'll go check up on Ron and Hana now. Keep an eye out for them." She said with a small smile before leaving the pantry.

Jean Stoppable stood there a little longer wondering if she had made the right decision, before remembering the way Kim lit up when she talked about Ron. She went out to the living room to tell Dean the good news.

_Wow, Ron is going to be so psyched! _

She turned the corner and bumped into Ron. Who'd obviously been listening in. This time he grinned and covered her mouth (even though she made no attempt to yell). He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his room.

"So you heard?"

"If you can do some secret listening, I can too! Partner privileges and all that." He said with a smug smile.

She growled. "Not the way this works, Ron. So... you heard?"

Ron turned serious at that. "Yah, it's badical Kim... I think. I'm not sure what to think actually. Me as a godfather-? I'm struggling and I thought I just got the hang of this big brother thing." He seemed to get more stressed as the responsibilities involved began to settle in.

"Well Ron you're not alone. You've got a whole _school_ of Ninjas as back-up, and then there's Wade, our friends, my family, and... well me. One of us is going to be able to help no matter what the sitch is. Trust us okay?" She said hugging him.

He hugged her back tightly. Letting the stress he felt be replaced with the sensation of being closest to the person he cared the most about in this world. "Trust.... I trust you Kim."

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE:**

**And the end of another day. Although technically it was a few. Oh well. Uhm so hopefully this ended on a positive note. Hope you guys enjoyed it. **

* * *

**OMAKE:**

**1)**

"Sensei why did you not warn them of your visions?"

"The sounds of screeching Monkeys can mean many things Yori. I also believe that whatever the hardships, together with Hana, Kim and Ron-san will overcome the trials destiny has prepared for them."

"I know this Sensei, but I cannot help but worry for them."

"That kindness and consideration will serve you well Yori. Nurture it, without letting the emotions blind you to the truth."

"I will try Sensei..."

**2)**

"So you want to have Kim and Ron be Hana's godparents?" Dean Stoppable asked his wife sitting on the couch while the couple in question was upstairs with Hana (presumably).

"Yes, I think they'd be perfect. The Possibles can help out if they need to, and of course this is just in case something happens to the both of us. Still I can't think of any better role models – especially if Hana really is going to be a world saving super ninja when she grows up."

"That's true and I've calculated the odds are in her favor if she learns from Kim. With a little help from Ron."

"So when do we tell them?"

"I already told Kim earlier. I don't know if she told Ronald yet, although knowing them he probably knows by now."

"Ah what a shame we could have gotten to say -"

(and at that point the author deleted the rest of the passage in disgust at what he almost wrote. The universe developed a tear in space ripping out- okay I'm done. Back to your regular scheduled programming.)

* * *

**PREVIEW:**

"Kim you gotta admit, this is one of the perks of having a father who works as a Rocket scientist!"

"Ron we're visiting a space station. With your baby sister! How did you talk your way into this?"

"Three words KP. Hana PDP! We're going to make a killing in the Middleton Fair this year!"

"**Y'ep! Cotto'n C'andy!"**

"So Kimmie-cub, Ronald how're you enjoying the new space center?"


	10. The Lights and Stars

**Days of Hana**

**The Lights and Stars**

_**by unwrittenaria**_

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_**Disclaimer: KP belongs to Disney and the creators, although now that we're getting MVC3 and technically Marvel is under Disney... Assist Character anyone?**_

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_**Middleton Space Center**_

"And _this_ Hana, is the Middleton Space Center, you'll want to try getting in early for the annual little Rocket Boosters Day open house. The rocket-shaped cookies go quickly, _believe_ me." Said a young blond to his little sister.

Hana seemed quite keen on what Ron was describing, and paid careful attention to his every word, never blinking.

Kim rolled her eyes at the indoctrination of the little girl into the cult of Rocket Boosters set up by her father and maintained by her boyfriend. Then she shook her head and smiled a little to herself. _I guess it was fun...back when I was eight, _she thought (with slight admiration at Ron's capability to preserve his enthusiasm) _ Hana might as well get her chance to enjoy this while it lasts. And she looks adorable in that little rocket booster t-shirt._

"Alright Ron, let's not hype up the Rocket confectionery too much, I hear they may be replacing them with coloring kits and pamphlets this year. Or at the very least, the open buffet of baked goods is over." Kim said as they strolled the halls of the center. Taking a moment here and there to point out displays and points of interest to Hana when it seemed appropriate.

"B-b-but Kim! No more glazed frosting cookies in rocket shapes! Coloring kits are good for Hana now, but..." He wiped away genuine tears. "Goodbye open snack bar. Some of my fondest childhood memories end today." He brightened up at Hana who was looking curious. "Don't worry little sis, there's still the pixie girl scouts! They have the most awesome-"

Hana seemed confused, then promptly forgot what she was confused about and reached out to touch the display glass of a miniature space center model.

Kim had her hands on her hip and a mock angry look when Ron turned to her. "_Fondest_ childhood memories...?"

"Well sure, you were there with me when we first went." Her boyfriend smiled. "Felt like yesterday, finding out while we were watching Captain Constellation, and Mr. Dr. P coming in to give us the good news."

"Ugh, don't remind me. Although I appreciate being in there... if I didn't think it was all about the _cookies_." She said.

Rufus was alerted by the mention of cookies. **"Y'ummy!" **before chittering fondly at demolishing a small fleet. The naked role mat decided that sometimes it was better to be smaller, if it meant getting fuller sooner.

"If memory serves KP, you had 3." Ron said as he lifted Hana up higher so she could see the display better.

"Only because you took too many to hold in your pockets, Ron! I think we drove mom crazy coming back." She said, Ron's plan to embarrass (and take the heat off himself) her backfiring.

"Well... they were there on a plate, begging to be eaten Kim. I was doing my duty to cookie lovers everywhere! Now that I think about it, there hasn't been a lot of kids showing up to these open houses recently." He frowned thoughtfully. "Well Hana, looks like it's up to you to usher in a new age. Get all your baby friends to show up!"

Hana seemed to laugh at Ron's tone then quirked her head at a doorway.

"Glad to see you're enjoying Rocket Booster Day Ronald." _As always._ "So Kimmie, this the new Stoppable I've heard so much about?"

"Hey dad, yep, here she is." Kim said presenting her boyfriend and his little sister for inspection. She had a feeling her father was going to talk about...

"Well done Ronald. Looks like one happy camper and a real cutie! Almost as cute as Kim-" (Kim developed a deadly cough rather suddenly) James said proudly. "So how's she finding Rocket Booster day?"

"Hana's loving it Mr. Dr. P! She's psyched for the test launch probe, or the cookies. I also got Fredricks' care package right here!" He held up what looked to be medium brown cardboard box. "He mentioned he wanted some banana cake and some toys in his last e-mail. Apparently space food isn't all that it's cracked up to be."

"Well Ron, you did fly up there last time, want to bring it up yourself?" James joked.

Ron paled. "Heh, good one Mr. Dr. P. I'll uh... pass on the outer space adventure. The last one was good enough for me."

"Thought you got over your Fredrick issues Ron."

"Fredrick's cool KP, it's the space alien monkey's the Ronster's worried about."

"No such thing Ron."

"Kim, Kim, Kim. There's like a billion universes out there, one of them must have evil space alien monkeys."

"Hmm, you may be right Ronald." James unfortunately, failed to notice the deadly glare Kim was shooting his way. "We're certainly hoping to find alien life someday. Hopefully, it'll be more pleasant than evil monkeys though."

Kim was frustrated. "Dad, don't scare my boyfriend... more."

"It's a possibility Kimmie-cub, besides Ronald chances are they'll be friendly if they ever do show up. C'mon let's show some of that ol' Captain Constellation spirit?" He smiled every blocky tooth showing.

Kim repressed the sigh as the two male figures in her life cheered the dreaded catch phrase. She took some heart that Hana seemed perturbed (if excited at what the shouting was about).

"Say Kim, mind showing Hana here the space module? See if she can figure out the new interactive displays, we're testing it for the next tour group."

Kim nodded taking Hana into her arms giving Ron a reassuring wave, before entering the next room. _With all the times we've done this I could lead the tour. _She winced at the thought, as much as she loved her father and their time together, she so didn't want to face another group of kids wondering whether she was a babysitter for the day.

* * *

Ron was about to walk in after them when he heard Mr. Dr. P clear his throat. Nerves once again frayed as the young man wondered what the father of his girlfriend could want from him.

"So Ronald, we had an interesting talk with your parents a couple of weeks ago." The normally cheerful rocket scientist was carefully even about his tone of voice.

"Uhmm... if this about that paint trap I sprang picking Kim up I just wanted to say I'm really-"

James waved off the oncoming apology. "No worries Ron, that wasn't what I meant. Jim and Tim learned something... if anything we should apologize for sending you home with paint all over you."

"It's cool Mr. Dr. P, Wade got some kind of paint thinner, thinned the paint right off me!" Ron said waving his hands at the thought of an apology.

_Patient and forgiving, good qualities. _James mused to himself. Out loud he said "I meant the business of you and Kim being godparents to Hana, Ronald. Your parents told us about it."

Ron's eyes got comically wide and his mouth formed an 'o'.

**"**_**Parents**__ huh? Crazy _I know, me and Kim being god parents. I'd apologize but they just kinda sprang it on us. Kim seemed fine with it, so I said we'd give it a shot, but I mean I totally get it if you're worri-" Ron babbled on uncontrollably while James waited for the poor boy to wind down.

Several minutes later (and with Ron looking like he'd pass out) he felt it was time to step in.

"_**Ronald**_," He gave a laugh. "Anne and I are proud of you and Kim, and we're more than happy to take care of Hana." Abruptly his jovial good nature disappeared and Ron was faced once more with James Timothy Possible. "Now Ronald, I've heard from Kim how great a brother you are, and everything points to that being true. Just to be clear though, you aren't thinking of taking care of a daughter any time soon are you?"

Ron gulped, "Thanks I uh- what? NO! I mean no? No SIR! We aren't- I uh Kim and me haven't...." He flushed which James marveled at (for its rarity) before continuing on.

"Good, I'm not saying that isn't in the cards at some point. I just think it'd be best if-" and here even James seemed a little red. "it was a while, until such things... get discussed. Do you understand what I'm saying Ronald?" _Heavy emphasis on the discuss. _

The freckled young man in front of him nodded so hard he was worried he'd sprain something. "Understood Mr. Dr P, uh you can trust me with Kim! She means the world to me, and I'd never do anything to mess that up...er on purpose."

"Good, that's what I thought Ronald. I don't know if I should tell you this, but Kimberly doesn't always ask for my advice. Out of the handful of times she has, half of them have been about _you_. You make her happy, and as long as you continue to do that we won't have to do any _deep space explorations._"

"_R-right,_ gotcha Mr. Dr. P." Ron smiled weakly.

"Now what say you and me go check up on the girls." James thumped Ron's back comfortingly with his usual grin.

* * *

Hana was in heaven. There were brightly lit buttons of various colors and shapes everywhere! If only Kim would let her go so she could explore the fascinating toy with all the pushable pieces.

Kim decided she'd rather hold onto the little girl before she went and bashed everything in sight. _Then again, this whole section was designed as a replica for kids. _ _Maybe it'll be okay?_

She stepped closer to the launch pad and watched closely as Hana reached out. A little hand depressed the biggest and largest flashing red button on the panel, which resulted in the satisfying image of a rocket taking off in the video screen, even as speakers produced an authentic audio track corresponding with the events. She had it on good authority everything was real.

For the next while Hana followed the bright flashing buttons and was rewarded with the sounds and sights of a real Rocket launch sequence. Needless to say she was engrossed by the whole thing, and Kim found herself a little impressed as well.

"So what'd you think Kim?" Said Frank.

"Oh, didn't notice you Frank." She felt a little strange calling her dads friend and colleague by his first name, but agreed when he said he saw her little enough and didn't want to feel old when he did.

"It's a real hit with Hana here."

"Still baby sitting Kim?" It had been a running joke between them ever since she was 10 on Rocket Booster Day.

"Sorta," She replied with a grin. "This is Hana Stoppable, my boyfriend's adopted sister."

"Oh I heard something about that from James."

She held up Hana as if to say "this is her."

"She's got the eyes of an explorer, that's for sure." He grinned widely as he squatted down to eye level with the little girl. "Maybe you'll go up in one of these when you're older little lady?" He grabbed her hands and waved them around.

Hana was amused and giggled while she gripped the hand shaking her harder. Frank winced a little as he removed his hand smiling. "Quite a grip she's got there!"

"That's Hana. Strongest baby in the world." Kim joked.

"And the cutest!" Interjected Ron coming in.

"I'd disagree, but I'm biased." James said with a fatherly smile.

"Well I don't want to steal your thunder James. What about we get thing started?" Frank said clapping his hands, rubbing them in anticipation.

"This the big project you've been working on for the last few weeks dad?" Kim asked curious.

"You got it Kimmie. Been cooking this up for the kids. Behold:" James said with a flourish pulling the cloth off a spherical glass bubble floating suspended halfway up in the air.

"You guys finally perfected bubble blowing soap?" Asked Ron.

"Sorry Ronald, although I'll put that down on my to research list. It's not the bubble you need to pay attention to. It's what's inside. Frank if you would."

"Roger." Frank gave a smart salute and then pulled one of the levers on a side panel near the bubble. Immediately material seemed to form from the center until a fully formed rocket engine took shape in suspended animation.

"Woah, that's... that's... uh Kim what am I looking at?"

"You're looking at a small scale application to our Hephaestus project. We're using the nanobots to create working replicas of... well anything that we've got pre-programmed into the computer. There was some leftover material, and I figured it could be a great way to demonstrate parts and more to the kids." James said proudly.

"Uh... so just in case Kim doesn't know what that means exactly... let's say you simplify it a little for her...."

"Ron, it's like recipes for machine parts, only the machines assemble themselves."

"Badical! Can we try making other stuff like the new-"

"How about we demonstrate a few more models." Said Frank loudly in an attempt to get the demonstration back on track.

For the next twenty minutes the small group was treated to a shifting display of working machine parts, items like space suits, miniature working models of Rockets, and the space station itself. Hana had pressed her face and hands against the glass, focused on the magic toys that moved and changed by themselves. Frank and James got a laugh at her distorted features reflected in the bubble.

"Fish?" She inquired turning her head to address her brother, trying to make a connection with something she remembered.

"Not quite Hana. Although that's a pretty good guess!" James said delighted.

Hana concentrated on the shifting parts that now showed a docking sequence for a space probe with the station and slapped the glass excitedly when it made a hissing noise. _It's certainly very impressive_ thought Kim."Thumbs up dad. Kids will love this!" She said proud of her father.

He stood a little straighter. "No problem Kimmie-cub I made it with you in mind. Gotta find some way to inject new life into the open house if I want my teenage daughter to show up." He said jovially.

Kim sighed then shook her head giving up. Oh well it was only once a year and this would probably be her last time anyway for awhile with college coming up. "Sure dad, we'll stick around since it's the weekend. Don't think I could drag us away without letting Hana color some rockets anyway." She smiled at the boys.

"Alright KP! Hear that Hana? Someone's going to get to play with crayons. Yes they will!" He said resting her on his shoulders again, partly so she'd stop mashing her nose against the glass.

Rufus was having fun exploring some of the buttons open to the "crowd". He hopped around the controls shifting the rocket through several pre-determined "mission" scenarios. Hana clapped her hands in appreciation eyes wide with interest.

All in all it was shaping up to be a fun day so it was almost no surprise to Kim when the security alarms went off.

"What on earth?" Asked James in confusion.

"I didn't trip over any buttons or wires I swear KP!" said Ron looking around as the red lights bathed the room.

Hana looked around curiously. Sensing her brothers' worry she clutched onto his neck a little tighter snuggling into his frame.

"Don't think this sitch is your fault Ron. Dad where's the-"

A small explosion rocked them and James and Frank fell on their butts. Ron was shaky but had grabbed onto the console. Kim of course had kept her precarious balance.

"Who-?"

"Greetings _Fräulein_ Possible! It is, how to be saying this... good to be **SEEING** you again, _yes_?" said a squat man with a bucket helmet. The figure emerged on a floating hover car from a newly blasted ceiling.

"Dementor" the teens replied together. Kim couldn't help belatedly adding a "Jinx." before focusing on the sitch once more.

Kim's wristwatch Kimmunicator trilled and Wade began automatically speaking. "Kim security alarms just went off at the Middleton Space Centre! It's-"

"Professor Dementor, we know Wade. He's here with us now." Kim answered without taking her eyes off the small super villain.

"Yes _Professor Dementor_ is here. And there will be no stopping me this time Kim Possible. I am here for-"

"The nano tech which you'll use to create an assortment of mechanical devices, including the PVI?" said Kim matter-of-factly with a smug smile.

"I hate to be agreeing with Drakken, yes, but you are indeed getting on the last of the... NERVES_._ How am I supposed to do the evil ranting when... you will not let me _**FINISH **_the ranting." Professor Dementor snapped angrily.

"You rant, and Kim kicks your behind back to jail. We're just speeding it up!" chimed Ron.

"Sorry Professor, Rocket Booster Day is for kids only, and despite your stature you're so not a kid." She settled into a familiar pose.

"Oh, oh, so now the hero is down with the hurtful mocking then. This is poor parenting, no? For that I do not think I will be going with no nanobots today."

"Now Kimmie-cub, we know better than to make fun of someone for their size. Even if they are a super villain, everyone deserves respect. You should apologize, there's no need to be mean."

"Dad?!"

"Now Kim..."

"Argh. Fine–" _this is so flawed_ "Okay Dementor, that last one was out of line. You're still going home without the tech." She said gritting her teeth. "Why do you need it anyway? Don't you have nano-jet packs or whatever?" Kim griped.

"The henchmen were getting antsy, yes. It is in their contract that they be involved in some form of larceny every week. They are premium Hench co henchmen so it is driving me up the ceiling if I invent everything." He replied honestly with a shrug. "Apology accepted, but I do not think so Kim Possible. _Henchmen_, get that **BUBBLE!"**

Ron got in the last word of banter. "Hired help just isn't worth the trouble it used to be, huh Kim?"

With a shout several henchmen began to rappel in from the hole in the ceiling, and two more squads streamed through the doors.

Kim moved like lightning, making a prodigious leap into the air knocking out the henchmen that were still rappelling down. She landed nimbly, crouched down as senseless bodies fell to hang with a snap from their harnesses. Even as she exploded forward she noted that Ron was mostly on the defensive protecting her father and Frank from a couple of henchmen.

Professor Dementor was getting angrier as he watched his henchmen get taken apart. Oh well, he had prepared for this and with a push of a button his hover car moved over the globe with a clamp appearing from the bottom.

"KP he's making a move for the bubble!" Ron said as he tripped over a few guards, and a few of them luckily falling over their comrades into a pile.

"On it Ron!" Kim yelled back her new fighting style and anger at the way Professor Dementor was ruining her father's big day, made putting down the henchmen an even faster thing than usual. One of the last henchmen threw a a wild swing at the elusive heroine with an energy staff and she simply ducked and hit the joint and elbow, following with a double footed kick off the chest that put him down for the count.

"KIM!" Shouted out James in worry. She whirled around to see the stick twirl through the air, still alight with crackling power, to hit the clamp sending shocks throughout the bubble and the vehicle. The clamp shorted releasing it's prey and the bubble landed with a hard thunk cracking open slightly, while Dementor was frazzled.

"Oh, and now I am to be getting shocked by my own weapons yes? I DO NOT think so _Fräulein_ Possible." He mocked, then spotted the crack and pressed another button on his control panel revealing a vacuum like appendage snaking out from the side.

In all too brief a time the nano bots (which were back in their deconstructed forms) were sucked up and whisked away. Kim ran forward desperately just missing the craft as it flew up. "Much thanks Kim Possible and Doctor Possible, with your technology Professor Dementor will now have access to all of the world's technology! I bid you a not so very NICE day!" he laughed manically.

"KP what do we do?" asked a rather harried Ron making his way over the broken tiles and unconscious henchmen. He reached her just as she was about to whip out her hairdryer, only to remember she hadn't packed it.

"Not to worry Ronald, there was a built in fail safe for the bots, we learned out lessons after the last Hephaestus project." said James. "It's unfortunate that he got his hands on the bots themselves. They were an upgraded prototype, I'd hate to imagine what he could do if he figured out a way to engineer them himself."

Kim seemed to smile evilly at this. "Say dad, the control panels for the nano tech, how far does the signal go?"

James looked to his daughter in appreciation. "Several hundred meters at least, possibly up to a mile. We've got a dedicated satellite relaying everything in the space centre."

His daughters' grin widened (and Ron got a brief cold feeling in his spine) before she moved quickly to Ron. "Need to borrow Hana for a moment. I think she might appreciate solving this sitch."

"Hana?" asked a befuddled Ron.

With no time to lose Kim took the toddler who was again emulating some more kicking and punching from her perch in her brother's arms (presumably imitating herself), and set her in front of the display buttons.

"Hana I want you to have _fun _now. Press everything you see here okay? Rufus feel free to join her." she said with another slightly evil smile.

Hana seemed to understand, pressing various buttons while Rufus jumped around pressing things in sequence.

"KP how's that going to help?"

"You'll see Ron, and so will Professor Dementor." She said darkly under her breath "Teach him to crash Rocket Booster Day."

* * *

**Several hundred feet up in the air above the Middleton Space Center. **

"Haha and now I will be taking over the world!"

Suddenly it seemed like half the warning indicators on his craft lit up. A few sparks and smoke started to appear, and while he knew he had taken damage from that spark rod earlier, it shouldn't have been this bad.

His jaw dropped, the bots! (Dementor refused to bang his head against the controls, the reverberations from the metal helmet gave him a dreadful headache.) He'd forgotten to get a Hench Co hover car with the stasis field holding cell. Rotten luck. As his controls failed to respond he did his best to level the craft that plunged suddenly as the engine failed. Another warning signal lit up, and there went his escape pod.

He aimed for the only opening in the building. The world tilted upside down as he spiraled out of control and Dementor closed his eyes desperately – SCHLUMP*

_What is this?_ The concussive force of being piled face first into _pink jello_?

Even as he tried to push and crawl his way out the material seemed to cling and suck him in. It took up most of the floor and had half of his ride entrenched in it's gooey grasp.

"Sorry Professor, that's Wades' improved batch of elastic constricting agent lipstick. Triple the volume, and double the stick factor."

"Alright KP!" Ron danced a silly dance swinging Hana around in celebration.

Professor Dementor was trying to rant angrily, unfortunately the elastic formula had sown his mouth shut. It looked to be a good thing too the way his face was turning red from the bottled up rage. It took a bit but they had the rest of the goons rolled up into the big sticky mess (Kims' mission gloves had a special coating) and out into pavement. A quick ring up from the Kimmunicator to GJ made the whole mess go away (faster than you could say secret service platform tunnels.)

"Well done Kimmie. Now to fix the center before the next group comes for the tour." Said James clapping his hands. Frank suggested using the improved tech with the reconstruction and within an hour they had the place cleaned up more or less. Just in time for the new batch of recruits.

"We heard fireworks or something over here, and there seemed to be a laser show, Janice couldn't help but notice the open day today. So here we are." Kim over heard one of the mothers talking to Frank.

_All in all it seemed like it was going to be a record turnout year for the space center. _Thought Kim glad to see the crowds of children.

She turned around to see her boyfriend instructing the most recent inductees.

"Now I don't want to say ignore the pamphlets and coloring books, but make sure you remember to say you loved the cookies, okay? If we work together there might even be a chance of cake next ye-"

She shook her head, and grabbed his arm dragging him away from the (possibly) all too impressionable youth he was trying to brainwash. "Let's jet Ron. I think dad's going to have enough on his plate. Where's Hana and Rufus?"

"They're doing the docking sequence. Check it out KP." He pointed to the dream team who were beside themselves with fun, operating the buttons in tandem recreating space missions in the recently fixed bubble of nano bots. The infectious fun being had by the little girl and her partner/pet/mascot(?) was spreading to a highly appreciative audience of children and adults alike.

"Looks like we got an astronaut in training there Kimmie." James said happily putting a fatherly hand on both their shoulders.

"She'll be back next year for flying duties Mr. Dr. P! Hana Stoppable goes to space. It can be a sibling bonding thing, ya know when she's a teenager and we have nothing else in common!" Ron said earnestly.

"I'll consider it Ronald." James said with another grin, still pleased with how well things were turning out.

Kim silently reached up to grasp her father's hand. _Well, I guess this wasn't so bad after all. _

_

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**Authors Note:** One part chapter! Decided to mix it up a bit. Next time it might be a two-parter or 4 or uh... back to 3 again. Not sure which. Chapter titles were changed for fun, and one of them was a shout out. Thanks for looking in on this, and for the reviews, etc.

Oh and uh to the people from Japan reading this. Apologies if I butchered anything when they were in Japan. Mostly working off the cartoon, and movies... which uh may not be the most accurate portrayal. No offense intended whatsoever. (and a preemptive apology to any cultures I trample in the future to say nothing about the fast and loose definition of what nano tech can do :P)

* * *

**Omake:**

1)

"Ronald I wanted to ask you a favour." Said James a little nervously, which scared Ron quite a bit.

"Uh sure Mr. Dr. P. You need it you got it! Unless uh you want someone to try out a test probe in which case..."

James laughed. "I heard from Kim that you've got quite the restaurant set up at school. Some of the people at the centre and the hospital have even said the take out was praiseworthy. I was wondering if you could get me and Anne a reservation for lunch next week."

Ron brightened up. "Sure thing, anything for the two Dr. Ps'. Mind if I check with my organizer?"

"Sure thing Ronald."

"Rufus, table for two next week for lunch. What've we got?"

The pink table seater extraordinaire whipped out a digital pad (wade designed and sized for naked mole rat convenience) and a few clicks later looked up nodding chattering. "**O'kay hi'nk**" He said holding up the tablet for confirmation.

The details were settled and James was pleased to have a nice place for a lunch date, something that hadn't happened in awhile with his work and his wifes' equally busy schedule. "Thanks again Ronald."

"Anything, although you should probably tell Kim. Might be awkward if she's the one serving you guys."

"Kim works as a waiter?"

"Only part of the time, she's the one managing the cheerleaders who agreed to help. Bonnie of course declined. Most of the rest of the cheer team is on though. I guess the extra credit, and free meals were a pretty good incentive of Kims'."

"I'll talk to her tonight."

"See you guys next week then! I'd recommend the Asian fusion style as an extra." Ron winked at him.

"I'll be sure to keep it in mind. Now what say we get some more of those cookies out."

"Now you're talking Mr. Dr. P!"

2)

Fredrick eagerly awaited the box of supplies from his friend Ron. His one year mission had been extended, and for all the high tech advancements of the space shuttle/base some creature comforts could only be found on earth. He dug around finding various toys, and the much desired Banana cake.

He fished out a few photos that hadn't been e-mailed to him. He recognized friend Ron and friend Kim. This new third figure was a stranger to him. It was a little one. Fredrick scratched his head with his tail as he wondered if friend Ron and friend Kim had mated to produce offspring. By their colorings (made easier by all of them posing together) it was unlikely. He shrugged and ate some more of the banana cake with joy. He unloaded the rest and found a foil wrapping at the bottom carefully packed away.

_What did friend Ron send me? _He couldn't remember asking for something like this in his list of requests to his pal back on earth.

_Bue-no Nac-ho Naco?_ Fredrick puzzled it out in his mind. _What friend Ron want Fredrick to do? _Sniffing hesitantly he bit into it carefully and...

* * *

**Preview:**

"We know your secret Ron."

"Uh Director, if you're talking about that secret Ferret Costume I can explain..."

"We've been recording you and we've noticed some startling details about your sister Ron.

"Director Betty I can explain."

"Glad one of us can Kim."


	11. Globalization of Justice: Will

_**Days of Hana**_

_**Globalization of Justice: Training Secrets**_

_**By unwrittenaria**_

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**_Disclaimer: All of KP properties below belong to KP owners, etc. No money involved here!

* * *

**Rons' Tree House: female population allowed (2)**

_**Beep-beep-be-beep!**_

Ron groaned and even Kim couldn't help but feel a little frustrated at the bad timing involved. They had finally gotten Hana to focus on the hungry hungry hippos! Kim subtly caught her boyfriends eye, and behind Hana they were leaning forward when-

"Hey guys! I uh... bad time?" Came the voice of their adolescent tech guru (and one shop stop for interrupted moments).

"Yah, _hello_ Wade! We've been on call for the last two weeks! We just dealt with that mission with Camille Leone!" said Ron in exasperation.

"It's no big Wade." Kim reassured, while covertly shooting her partner a look to lay off the poor 10 year old (even if she was feeling none too charitable herself).

She forced cheer into her voice. "Another mission Wade?"

"Not this time Kim. You guys got summons from GJ."

"This about the transport tube thing with Dementor?" Ron fretted.

"Nah, someone messed up the code coordinates, they're not blaming the team for that one. I just got the message a minute ago."

Kim couldn't help seething a little. "We bagged him for them, I was kinda hoping he'd stay locked up for longer than a month. If that's not what we're going down there for... what's the sitch Wade?"

"Not sure Kim, just told you guys to show up, oh and to bring Hana along." Wade added forehead creasing.

"They want Hana as well? Kim this isn't some kind of government conspiracy deal-io right?" Ron said instantly suspicious.

She glanced at the little girl in question (who was rapidly jamming on two of the hippos in an impressive feat of coordination). Certainly, there was a chance they had been monitoring the team in some form or another. A huge organization like Global Justice could hardly be an efficient force if their intelligence gathering was sub par to begin with.

_The question then is how much have they learned? _

Kim had no answer to that so she turned to one who that had yet to fail her in that regard. "Wade any data on research into Hana by GJ? Maybe a Hana Factor project or something?"

_As ridiculous as that sounds, I've learned not to dismiss all of Global Justices' research. Not after Wade showed me some filtered reports on the Ron and Rufus' 'factors' and how they impacted our success. _She smothered a smile at her own disbelief back then (in retrospect the image of GJ descending like a sting operation on Bueno Nacho _was_ pretty funny).

_I wasn't sold on all of it at first but there's definitely something special they bring to the table, and now... I know what it is. _She allowed the corners of her mouth to pull up. _Wade's implied once or twice that GJ keeps tabs on all of us since then. _

That thought made her focus back on the figure in the screen. "Nothing much Kim, although there seem to be several video logs tagged with her name in the code. I'd look into it some more, but they hired me to patch up some of the more _glaring_ holes in their systems." The chubby boy give them a sly look. " I've left a _few_ back doors, but it'd be best not to dig around _too_ much. I think it should be safe enough bringing Hana along though."

She nodded, if it was good enough for Wade, it was good enough for her. They both turned to look at Ron. Who had crossed his arms and was rubbing his chin. "Alright, we go in, but the first sign they're planning to research her for secret baby weapon programs, and we jet like that time at Stonehenge." He looked directly into his girlfriends eyes to assure her he wasn't kidding.

She nodded a little reluctantly this time throwing her arms around his neck for support. "Will so much as_ points _his watch in her general direction... and we'll go, Ron. Unless Hana asks him for the time." She added lightly.

"Also, we were _never_ at Stonehenge remember?" She whispered after a moment.

"R-right, gotcha KP." The blond mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key.

"That's my boy, now let's see what GJ wants with us and your sister."

They both waved to Wade after the usual exchanges and the screen reverted to black.

* * *

**Miles below Middleton: GJ Central Base of Operations**

A woman with short brown hair and an eye patch sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that day (which was sad given just how lavish, if somewhat spartan her office was). Every other free moment (she'd have laughed at the idea of a free moment if she could spare one) was spent reading some new report, or issuing an order.

Betty waved her hand over a transparent document floating above the table in front of her. It flashed away in time with her hand, and a new document flickered in it's place. She scanned over it, and near the bottom pressed her hand into an expanded glowing circle that appeared once the document reached it's conclusion. Scanning complete, the eye patch split in half to reveal a thin lens, over what looked like a high tech eye prosthetic.

Personally, sometimes she felt it was overkill to have this triple layer protection system, but having been the one to propose it she couldn't go back.

_A__nd it is one of the few layers of protection not even __Wade could emulate_...She thought reluctantly about how long that would last._  
_

_I am glad we installed this after that one 'incident'. Not my preferred way to getting a private talk with the President. _She felt a tic in her forehead developing, and meditated to calm herself.

_I'd come down on the Load kid like a ton of bricks myself... if I didn't have to protect him from every other government program that wants him. Kid's good, but even he can't keep his tracks hidden from __**every**__ intelligence agency, and someday the goodwill from helping save the world is going to run out. One day..._

These worries and a million other considerations (with a few machinations and schemes thrown in for good measure) jostled in her mind vying for attention. It seemed at times a quarter of their budget went to cleaning up super villain messes, just how they expected her to work on the budget they allotted (_and that I've fought tooth and nail to have expanded to where it is now) _was anyone's guess.

An intercom window opened up in front of her, flashing orange for her attention. It seemed like her guests had arrived as requested.

"What do you have for me today?" she wondered.

* * *

**Global Justice Transport Tube #6-a-03 Central Docking Bay**

A tanned, faintly euro-asian man stood at attention. Those who had worked with him before (there were none, he flew solo as was his _due _given his status) would still be unable to notice the feelings of unease that the young man hid behind a veneer of professionalism and training. At best, his body language would reveal a certain _tension_ that wasn't there most of the time.

Will Du, GJ's top agent was by all accounts a rising star in the agency and on the fast track for promotion. He personally expected to be director when Director Betty chose to move on or retire. Until then, he was satisfied knowing he was her right hand in missions and go to guy in all other respects. Or he had been.

_Until those amateurs showed up._ He thought darkly. _Ever since that one mission with target Killigan... _

There were distressing _signs_ that the Director was in fact _grooming_ the amateurs, specifically Kim Possible as a possible protege, maybe even as future director. He'd reviewed the tapes and surveillance of them a few times, fudging the clearance a little, but a good agent did his research. She certainly had an impressive record for someone with no professional training, but he'd also seen that she made mistakes as well. They got captured on missions, and it was a combination of luck and skill that got them out. Somehow the weird mix and match, rag-tag element of their "team" gave her an edge.

_Be that as it may... there is hardly any need for her when Global Justice's top agent is already on the job. _He thought with distaste at 'farming out' missions.

_If anything she should be _thanking_ him, she no doubt had cheer leading practice or what not to attend to. Best leave this to professionals, who had 10 years worth of training and the full supplement of GJ resources at their disposal. _It was only logical._  
_

_ While she might be an adequate... back-up (in time) it doesn't take a genius to tell who the number one agent is **supposed** to be. _He mentally critiqued her finding 'Kimberly' wanting in several aspects, compared to his own standards.

A confident (with a touch of smug around the corners) smile appeared.

Well no matter, even if Kim Possible_ was_ gifted- _and she has to be, with her mother and father being who they are_... (say what you will, Agent Du had respect for every person who was at the top their field, he liked to think they recognized that inherent spark in similar people, namely himself) she was going to get in over her head, eventually.

_When she does Global Justice will be there to pick up the slack._

Doctor Director had in fact offered a few times to get him on their missions, or to have Team Possible assist him on his. He had declined every time citing various reasons, but in reality he had done so to prove he didn't require any help. If Team Possible ever failed... he was more than willing to clean up, but until then it might be best if they got the slap on the wrist they needed to wake up from playing "agents".

It hadn't happened _yet_, and he bit his tongue whenever Director Betty recounted their latest accomplishments. After the Lil Diablos mission there had been buzz about recruiting the outfit into GJ as a special force. He'd done his best to ignore the concept, and was glad when it finally died down (only occasionally resurfacing as idle water cooler gossip amongst the staff).

_Maybe they finally botched a mission and they're here to be reprimanded. _

Will would do his best to only lightly chastise them. It was possible at some point they might be working under him.

The tunnel entrance lit up signaling an incoming arrival. He monitored the console responsible for video surveillance no warning signs, three-no, _four_ heat signatures. A small ding chimed and the platform deposited the guests. This was hardly their first trip but Ron still looked a little green (somehow feeling his stomach dropping never failed to make him just a tad queasy). Kim looked like she stepped off a walkway, and casually flipped her hair once over her shoulder. Neither of these figures held his interest for long. There was an anomaly here. He considered what it was about the team that bothered him.

He walked over, head held high, bold as brass. "Greetings ama-_Team Possible_ (the Director had been careful to stipulate their interactions were monitored and to act accordingly) Doctor Director assigned me to greeting you, and leading you through GJ."

Ron was impressed, he could barely sense the disdain and pompous nose thumbing that usually accounted for their interactions with GJ's top dog. It always took a healthy dose of patented Kim-care whenever they had a run in with Will, which thankfully only occurred when there was a villain to turn over, and a few rare instances of GJ hover jet transport. He idly wondered if things would ever smooth over between the two alpha figures. Especially, since he suspected Kim had considered going into GJ at some point for her long term career options. How _that _particular sitch would resolve itself he didn't want to begin to speculate.

From the moment he began addressing them, to the 'slip' Kim had felt her teeth grating. The uniformed agent in front of her who so easily dismissed everything she did, and had the arrogance that wasn't backed up by results (that she knew of) sent her straight past tweaked to _royally_ so.

_If there was ever one reason to **not** go to work for GJ... it'd be the idea of a group whose self proclaimed top agent is Will. Freakin'. Du. Betty Director seems alright, but who on earth would trust this... blowhard?_

"It's okay _Agent_ Du. I'm sure we can find our way to wherever we need to go. Wouldn't want to keep you from your 'top-agent' work to escort little old us." she pumped as much as sarcasm as she could into her voice.

"Be that as it may-" Will assented (thereby missing more growling and grating from Kim), "-Doctor Director asked me to and I accepted. Professionals always follow through, even if it might be beneath them."

_Dude, does he try to set off KP on purpose, or does it just come naturally? _Ron marveled inwardly at just how bad Will dealt with his team leader. (The irony would never strike him.)

Sensing the need to prevent a murder (there weren't many places worse than right here to commit a crime) Ron held out his sister like a peace offering.

"So uh... _Willy, _uh_ Willie?_ dude," this time it was Will who was ticked (_**Willy? **_Ron didn't notice it, but there was a reflexive twitch for his stunner), "-got any top agent info on what GJ wants with my baby sister? Some kind of baby agent development plan they want to test out or something?"

Will Du took a step back from Ron. Kim sensed a barely stifled urge to brush his uniform and narrowed her eyes accordingly.

"No, that was not pertinent information. I imagine Doctor Director wants to suggest you two... take a sabbatical, to focus on your family possibly. Your sister might just be a way to point out how you have higher priorities than as _freelance_ _workers _(_who have no jurisdiction or training_)." Will answered, the smugness back again after the rather distasteful moniker from the sidekick.

Ron seemed genuinely surprised at the notion and began thinking hard.

Kim caught the look and glared at Will for trying to get them out of the field with a mind job.

_Although, he might have a point. _She grudgingly conceded _(very_ reluctantly). _I'm not as close with the Tweebs, well because they're Tweebs... and because of our schedules. I wonder if being at home more often might have changed that?_

That said, she had no plans to change her lifestyle, and she knew her family was tight when it mattered. She'd do the same thing all over again. She couldn't help who she was after all.

"Well _Will,_ if you could just tell us where Doctor Director wants us to go I think I can handle it from here." She repeated her earlier request in the hopes that it would reinforce how much she wanted him gone.

"The Director will be meeting you in her private office, I will esc-" he began.

"No thanks Agent Du, I remember the floor plans and layout, we'll be able to make our way there."

Will started, shoulders tense. "How did you get that information? That's strictly for Global Justice operatives only!"

"_Relax_ Du, Betty Director sent us the GJ handbook _and_ the base lay out in case we ever had a mission that required either. C'mon Ron," she turned to the blonde, "-_later_ Will." She said with casual dismissal, and a noticeably lighter spring in her step.

Ron looked at the two of them and sighed. Hana who had been quiet through most of the exchange (being focused on the new place she hadn't seen before, and suitably entranced by the funnest ride to date, the tunnel platform) patted him on the shoulder from her perch in his arms.

"Brother?" she queried with the tilt of her head.

Ron sensed her feelings about his feelings (in his mind this went on a bit longer, but then it got too confusing and he forced himself to stop). "It's okay sis, just wondering."

Hana nodded a little at this, that or she liked head butting him in the chest now. Either way he felt her curiosity about his worry fade away, to be replaced by feelings he'd learned to associate with the chance for exploration! _Better keep a close eye on you, and a closer grip. _

He decided to try something new. _Rufus stay with Hana for this one. Next Bueno Nacho you get double cheese nachos. _He thought hard, concentrating on conveying his will to his naked mole rat friend.

While he and his best friend/pet had an almost semi-telepathic understanding of one another (and to some, a freakish ability to communicate), the power to actually feel what the other was feeling threw him off at first. He'd felt and noticed it grow over time to the point where he could distinguish trace 'tinges' that separated his emotions from those of the other two power bearers. Hana thought so clearly, and felt wholly every emotion she had, so he was grateful that their bond had been somewhat muted by the lack of the Lotus Blade. The transition was made easier when so much of Rufus' moods mirrored his own, especially when-

Rufus was feeling hungry. The mental image of a plateful of gooey cheesy nacho goodness appeared, with a subtle nudging request associated with Hana. Rufus understood, scampering onto Hana and tickling her scalp. This in turn caused her to headbutt Ron when she tried to shake Rufus off (in what was becoming a rather painful habit).

"_Oof_, alright guys. I dodge and run away from pain," another bump, "standing it and taking it is something I leave to people who can handle it, like Steel Toe." He reached up, rubbing Hanas' forehead feeling contentment wash over her for a second. Before she decided that was a new target much in the way boxers have trainers holding mits.

Will Du watched the entire thing unfold with a sense of unease. Speaking 34 languages and almost as many regional dialects had not included training courses for small infants. First aid yes, child care no.

_What d__oes Doctor Director want with them? _He thought following behind them as Kim led the way through the secret base.

* * *

**Lode Residence: Wades Room**

The dusky skinned pre-teen slurped from his preferred form of sustenance.

_I really should consider setting up a neural interface holder someday. _Wade thought to himself, it'd probably increase his productivity a whole 10% (which given his level of proficiency meant quite a lot). Then again it was also some of the rare instances he had of physical movement beyond typing, and he was loath to lose that, whatever the benefits.

Even as he considered this he continued typing, making his way through the rest of the GJ database.

_To be fair, I did say I left a few back doors. _Wade grinned to himself.

He knew that GJ and more than a few other groups were keeping an eye on him and Kim. It wasn't bragging to say that a lot of groups only found out about Kim because they were researching him (which in turn led to increased hits for errant science and government types for the team, and more exposure in a cycle that had led them to the status they held now).

Ever since he'd allied himself with Team Possible it was an unfortunate necessity that he had to step out of the shadows a little more often than he liked. Wade was glad though. He felt he'd grown for the better through his interactions and he didn't mind losing some of the mystery as the cyberspace ghost hacker.

_Back to the present. _Wade pondered as he kept on researching GJ. It was a series of checks and balances he and Doctor Director worked out. He was an off the books "consultant" that poked around in their systems and sent them a report for whatever weaknesses he found. He got to keep whatever information he found for a day before deleting it, which they both knew was more than enough time to memorize or create his own info from. Occasionally, they surprised him, and he was always glad for a new challenge.

This position along with the benefit of Kim's reputation and standing meant he could even protect the team in various ways. He'd kept some sensitive information that could have averse affects on the team, and had more than a few lengthy text/video conversations with the head of the Global Justice Network.

"_You know this means quid pro quo, Mister Load?" Betty Director told him during a video conference._

"_I think individually, or as a group we've helped put out more than a few fires." Countered Wade to the spymaster._

"_And that buys you certain considerations, but you've got no right hiding sensitive information from us. For instance that communication line for Yamano-"_

"_Was merely for a mission. We both know you don't want to start bringing up instances where Kim or Ron have helped settle a mess with a ray, or a doomsday weapon." Wade continued steadily. "If I choose to withhold information it's because I'm trying to protect the team, or because I don't trust the people who would be responsible with it." _

_The interlocked fingers of the spymaster in front of him tightened. She understood it wasn't meant as a slight on her personally, she had her superiors as well. Still it was damn grating to be told so to her face. "Wade I won't deny that there are things we could improve on, but there are instances where we could have helped! Minimized damage and fall out if we had the intel you provide for Team Possible." _

_It was hardly the first time they had this conversation. "Betty, we both know you're understaffed and under paid as it is. We've both seen your budget allowance. You do a great job with what you have and the non violent approach you've taken up." He shook his head impressed, before continuing. "Unfortunately, clean up is all you can manage to do sometimes. You're running things on a global scale, which means you deal with roughly 3 times the amount of 'requests' we do." He continued telling her things she already knew. "Whatever doesn't get around to Team Possible gets handed off to you guys as it is, and on occasion vice versa." _

_Betty Director felt the implication was clear, it was a tentative relationship the two groups had based on mutual need and shared goals. Obviously, Global Justice as a government branch didn't completely trust a group of free lance workers who had no government sanction, and part of the result was the research and covert surveillance on all it's members (whatever Bettys' opinions on the group). Over time they had proved themselves, but that didn't mean things couldn't change. _

_So GJ kept on their research on all of Team Possible and their associates, and Wade kept an eye on everyone else. _

He had the spare time after all. _He thought to himself._

"_I understand that Wade. Just like you know we've covered for the three of you more than once. Someday I'm not going to be at the helm, and I can give no assurance that my successor will be as open minded." _

_Not exactly a threat, but a warning nonetheless. _

_Wade seemed to understand and appreciated the heads up. "All I'm saying is you have your secrets, stuff you don't put on your mainframe, and so do we. You of all people should understand the need for some discretion." _

_A grim smile was the response. "Undoubtedly. Mister Load I'll be honest. I like Team Possible, you've done a phenomenal job and their success is nothing short of a miracle to the average suit. I've looked closely though, and I can safely say that every single element of your operation plays a role." Her tone became even more frank. "I'd like to harness that power for GJ. I think Kim Possible understands that should she desire it, there will be a position open for her at Global Justice. It looks like subject Stoppable will likely go where she follows. So the only real question is whether you're on board." _

_Wade was amused. They had also had this conversation several times. While he was happy to poke their systems it was another thing to be on the government payroll. It wasn't something he was eager to do (given what he knew about some of the nations secrets), and was why he had so eagerly helped Kim in the first place. There were no shady elements to her motivations or aspirations._

Still as far as groups go GJ is on the up and up mostly._ He thought carefully._

"_Let's leave that for another day. Kim and Ron still need to get through college before they'll even consider long term job employment." He proposed. "We'll talk about it again in a year. There might be a chance she'll hang up her mission gear for good, and this will all be moot." He didn't believe that and neither did she, but his point stood. There was no telling what the future might bring._

_She held a hand up in acknowledgment if not in surrender. The one eye he could see seemed to hint at amusement. "Fair enough. Now what do you have for me?"_

"_Well there were a few sub-routines in your coding that could-"_

He cut himself off from remembering the rest of the exchange.

There was work to be done after all. That new triple redundancy encryption Betty had set up was something he hadn't figured how to get past yet. There seemed to be a physical element to it as well, he guessed some kind of bio pattern and something else. Well one way or another he'd figure it out. It might even take more than a few minutes.

He was especially keen to find out in case it really had something to do with Hana. Given what he knew of her and that leaked video, (to say nothing of all the surveillance by GJ themselves) it was likely they had caught some hint of the little girl and her special nature. He suspected the black blurs he had isolated, lasting barely a frame from intercepted footage were Yamanouchi agents covering for the group. _Clearly though, even they couldn't be everywhere at once. _

The chubby genius cracked his fingers and rolled his shoulders. With a final gratifying pop of his neck he poised his fingers over the keys.

_Time to get started._

_

* * *

_

**Back in Global Justice Headquarters**

The group made their way through the cavernous rock and shiny white material that compromised the base. Kim was in the lead as usual, making her way quickly, noting from memory signs and indications for where to head next.

_Glad I took the time to memorize GJ map layouts now. That'll show Du. _She thought a little snidely.

The teen heroine continued striding forward Ron keeping step with her, and behind the faint presence of a stare trained on their backs. It drove her to pick up the pace.

Hana was staring back at Will peeping over Ron's shoulder. If Will didn't know any better he'd suspect the little girl was sizing him up. It was a curious thing the way the Asian child seemed to be judging him (and seemed to find him lacking somehow). He did his best to puff his chest out and radiate professionalism, until he realized he was posing for a child and caught himself before he continued the ridiculous charade.

_There may be more to this child than I realized. _He thought with unease for the first time, _could this be the reason why Doctor Director didn't provide a reason for bringing Stoppables' sister here?_

_R&D, weapons bay, mess hall... _ Kim mentally ticked off the areas leading to the directors office.

"KP, check out the view!" Ron said whistling to her side (and affording Hana another chance to squish her nose against the screen). They were on an overhead walkway having just passed the room with the large monitor display and a dozen or more techs working the consoles for info that streamed from the whole globe. Kim knew what she would see but still took a moment to scope out the facility.

Will of course couldn't wait to give them the brochure and tour guide. _All the better to rub in what a top agent has access to I guess. _Kim thought to herself.

"As you can see, this is the training grounds. State of the art, including everything from live fire drills, to sparring halls." He said with obvious pride. "There's even a new holographic simulation dome with a variety of exercises for every conceivable situation an agent could face. It was built by-"

"Wade." the team cut him off in harmony. "It's an expanded version of the projection room he has set up in his own house." Kim continued, inwardly enjoying the pique from Will.

"We stop by every now and then to do some training drills," _well me more than Ron until recently but... _"I guess we prefer to get most of our training on _actual_ missions."

If Will noticed the slight he ignored it. "I'm sure the extra training benefited the both of you, although I wonder how our scores compared."

Kim stopped completely at this, turning around to face him for the first time since she had started off. "Scores?"

Ron groaned inwardly. _He really is baiting her. KP is great at a lot of things, but competition? Guess we're not gonna be seeing the Director any time soon._

Will stopped calmly before the transparent screen giving them an overview of the training area. With a practiced flick of his wrist his watch sent out a signal causing a previous blank board to flash up. Scores and times were displayed in short order for a variety of training simulations and courses. Will seemed to have the top scores in every one.

"We felt it best to establish a light competition to ensure all our agents did their best. Some of us just _are of course." _He said with an impressively arrogant eyebrow movement.

Ron wasn't even sure how the agent had managed to convey scorn and superiority in one economical facial twitch of his eyebrows (and wasn't sure whether he should be impressed or not).

_Could this be the vaunted training and finest mind tutoring we heard about? _He pondered._ The homework assignment for body language 203 Global Justice edition? How to convey feelings and insults with the hair above your eyes?_

"I guess it could be useful if you don't have a witty comeback when you're tied up by a supervillain." He considered aloud.

Rufus popped up to give him a another impressive expression via eyebrows. _**The what of the what now? **_(Made all the more impressive by an actual lack of eyebrows on the pink creature.)

His GF and Will had also looked at him curiously.

"Oh, I said that out loud didn't I?" He said a little sheepishly. "Well it's like this KP-" then apparently thought better of discussing GJ tutoring in front of a product of said tutoring. "uh... tell you later."

Kim shook her head and Will moved right on.

"So Kimberly, you have any records from your 'training sessions'? We could compare scores." He offered generously.

"I thought you'd know by now Agent Du, Wade has everything on file. It'd be a short Kimmunicator message to get our scores," her eyes glinted with excitement "but I could always just do a short run...of say... your _top_ five courses?"

For some reason the mental image of a gauntlet/glove being thrown on the floor found itself in Hana's mind. She had no idea what the image meant or what it symbolized. She did know she sensed excitement and that got her excited too. She gripped the sleeves of the arms holding her eagerly looking at the two figures.

"I wouldn't want to take up your valuable time, you do have a meeting with the Director." Will said unsure.

"Oh _c'mon_ Will, just a fun _friendly_ competition like you said. I'm sure an _amateur_ like me won't come close to your scores, but at least I'll know how far I have to go to top agent status." She remarked coolly.

Ron wondered if Kim would sprout shark teeth if he looked away for a moment.

Will obviously agreed. "I'm sure Doctor Director knows where we are now. She'd be happy to let you try out the facilities. Go right ahead Kimberly." He didn't seem too worried now.

_After all I can do anything!/After all I am GJs' top agent. _Two sets of eyes narrowed locking on the other. _This will just prove it once and for all._

Ron off to the side sighed at the imaginary lightning he was sure only he saw shooting between the two.

* * *

**Global Justice Training Hall **

Kim was glad she had insisted on them going in mission gear now. She flexed a little letting her warm up routine for cheering get her in the proper mindset for the upcoming challenge.

With a final tightening of the gloves and an adjustment to her hair with a scrunchy she was ready. Will, and Ron (with Hana and Rufus) stood off to the side at a console.

A large majority of the agents in training had lined up to watch the Kim Possible take a run at the GJ training course. Her fieldwork was the stuff of legend given her age and the prodigious amount of missions she took on. Then there were the rumors of her being the next successor as acting Director. A few had scoffed, but now it seemed like questions about whether she really was 'all that' would be answered once and for all.

Subtle calls were put out and agents who couldn't make it in person either opened up video screens, or were forced to the overhead deck.

Will explained things for her. "We'll pick 5 different courses emphasizing different attributes. The green light on the board signals the start of the trial and the clock will begin, once you've completed the course a red light will appear. Your starting and ending points are indicated by the flashing yellow markers." He waited to see if she was following and got a quick nod to continue.

"Each of the courses emphasize accuracy, strength, speed, decision making, and adaptability in that order. The objectives will be made clear before the start of each one. You'll get an individual score for each section, and a cumulative score for the whole run."

Kim was getting revved up Ron could tell. She bounced a little on the balls of her feet in anticipation.

"Show 'em whose best KP!" Ron yelled out. Hana beamed her support waving both of her hands. Rufus chittered in agreement whipping out a flag with the KP logo on it. She even heard a few cheers and claps from the agents.

She smiled moving an errant lock, tucking it behind her ear as she returned the wave. "No worries Ron, this should be fun." That said she turned around to focus on the course, a confident grin appearing.

Ron found this incredibly sexy and wondered if some of the other agents did as well.

_There seems to be a lot of agent dudes wandering around all of a sudden. _He frowned a little before shrugging it off. Kim Possible was bon-diggety agent material, he knew that better than anyone else! So he couldn't exactly blame them for being drawn to her. There would be consequences though, to wolf whistling at Ron Stoppables' girlfriend.

_Mostly from Kim if she hears. _He thought chuckling.

"Let's go Agent Du, got a meeting to catch with your boss." Kim called out.

Will pushed a button in lieu of answering and the board flashed green. The peanut gallery quieted down, they were eager to see how the teen heroine fared in comparison to the top agent. (There was quite a bit of silent betting going on involving shift schedules, and assignments for those involved.)

The flat white tiled training hall was replaced by rocky terrain with a flash. Kim raised an eyebrow impressed. _Apparently more space and a budget gives it a little extra oomph to the light show. _

Admiration done she sprinted off passing through the opening marker. _Here we go Possible, let's show GJ agents what we can do._

* * *

The head of Global Justice made her way through the base. Stopping only briefly to nod her head at techs or staff when they greeted her. She had assumed the teens would be here by now, and when they had not arrived she called up the security team to find out their location. The computers logged Agent Du as being in the training room, along with half of her subordinates.

Betty continued down the walkway deciding the overhead walkway might prove a better vantage point, only to reconsider when she turned the corner.

_Apparently most of my agents have nothing better to do than stand around and watch people train. _She thought wryly.

She considered for a moment breaking it up and sending people back to their posts, then thought better of it. _What's the harm anyway? And if it's what I think it is... maybe it'll get some of them to work harder, or learn a thing or two. _

That decided she made her way over to an alcove adjoining the hallway, facing what seemed to be solid rock. Sure that her surroundings were clear the eye patch once again split and a green screen filled the vision in one of her eyes. A few subtle eye movements and an invisible scan later she walked through the stone wall. The hologram didn't even flicker behind her. As she continued into the secret observatory a metal door slid into place with a silent pressurized hiss.

Massive transparent windows overlooking the hall allowed her to see the figure with the red flag of hair spin and move through the obstacle course. Off to the side a decent crowd of agents were watching the teen hero work, while Will Du and Ron Stoppable (and entourage) were at the control stations.

She sat into a chair and adjusted another set of screens that appeared showing off the course from various angels, and measuring various statistics. Heart rate, blood pressure, and other things were constantly monitored, as well as the difficulty settings for the challenges. Betty looked at one of the silent black machines next to her chair and it beeped depositing first a cup then a cloudy yellow liquid. (A lemonade machine, one of the few vices she permitted herself in the budget.)

As she sat back sipping the drink she wondered when and whether Kim would join her outfit. She had high hopes that it would happen. While she didn't like to consider it overtly, as the director she couldn't ignore that having such a high profile hero as a part of her organization had various benefits. Especially if she kept up the record that made her a household name by now. The politics of it was annoying but a necessary evil.

_It would be unfortunate to have to pass that off to (_tentatively_) agent Possible should she ever be inclined to be director... _then berated herself for planning _that_ far ahead. Considerations would be given certainly, but it would be pointless to over think it at this early stage.

_Analysts certainly see it to be a high possibility outside of any extraneous factors, villain or otherwise..._

Betty sat in the dark, watching various screens showing the teen heroine moving onto the second stage of the course. As she watched she smiled a little. It looked like she would be giving Will a run for his money. If she kept up this pace at any rate...

* * *

**Authors Note:**

This one took awhile to write. Was going to keep going but decided I'd rather just post something first. Maybe I'll come back later and add what I meant to but...

Anyway hope you guys enjoyed this.

* * *

**Preview: **

**RED ALERT! RED ALERT! RED ALERT! ** Red lights flooded the base.

"What is going on? Someone give me a report STAT!"

"Sorry Mam' it looks like the whole base is in lock down. We're trying to get it back up and running again but..."

"We've got no time for that! Hana was separated from us earlier when the defenses went up! We need to FIND HER!"

"Ron we'll get to her. Director?"


	12. GoJ: Betty

**Days of Hana**

**Globalization of Justice: All in the Handbook**

_by unwrittenaria_

_

* * *

_

disclaimer: no profit, all fun, KP and co. belongs to their respective owners

* * *

**GJ Middleton Base Training Hall**

A figure in a black crop top and cargo pants made her way through shifting terrain in a rather impressive display of cheerleader trained prowess. Occasionally, turrets would pop up expelling short intense laser blasts (that while not lethal, would definitely leave a mark the next day should they come into contact with their target). An average person might not have realized it, but this teen girl was _enjoying_ herself.

The air was filled with red lights and the intense hum of concentration by both the participant and the audience.

"Alright, KP! Half a minute behind for the first course, but a full minute lead on the second! Does my GF rock the training gigs or what?" The tow headed teen boasted to the other agents hanging around.

"**O' Yah!" **Rufus agreed heartily.

A few of the agents gleefully agreed, while a few seemed less than overjoyed about it. Ron guessed they felt bad about Kim showing them up.

"_Frassa- monitor duty-rassa"_

"You dudes say something?" He asked picking up on vague murmurings.

"Oh! Nothing, uh... Rod Steppable!" Said the agents uniformly.

Ron glared for a moment and then gave up. If the super secret spy organization who had done research on him couldn't get it right... well he was done fighting. He looked back over the course where his _girlfriend_ was now slowing/speeding up through a series of obstacles in a more traditional obstacle style challenge.

_As long as she knows my name..._

"_GO_ _KIM!"_ He yelled again hoping to spur her on.

* * *

Kim subconsciously recognized the voice, and even with the upcoming body contortion she'd have to make to get through the ring up ahead she smiled. Pouring on the speed and pushing herself harder she threw herself forward with barely an inch of clearance, tumbling and almost picking the pace back up immediately.

The ducking and weaving earlier in the speed challenge was easier in some ways, she did spend half her missions strafing from laser fire. She chanced a quick glimpse of the clock and was pleased to see she was making good time. Her mind was on autopilot now, identifying the barriers ahead and mapping out how to most effectively speed past them.

_Too bad about the first course, Will could have mentioned it was going to be a challenge involving a gun. _The perfect replica of GJ handguns that shot out "lasers" had thrown her off for a second, with her deliberate aversion to firearms of any kind. Still, she had gone through the course zapping her targets, she had no problems aiming, it just felt... _awkweird_ pulling a trigger.

_Made up for it in the strength course, just had to rack up enough hits of varying levels of force in sequence. _She felt some of her frustration leak out as she pretended the target was a certain GJ snob. The whirling spin kick she devastated the "target" with at the end certainly _felt_ good. To say nothing of a new high score, and cementing her status amongst the trainees.

Just as she was busy figuring out what would be next, a rumbling noise began, that was her only warning. 20 yards away from the finish line a gap appeared in the ground from which sprouted steel walls. She had less than 5 yards and the barrier quickly extended the length of the course at least 15 feet in height.

_Hope this works_. She thought without stopping.

She sped up, feet triple timing as she entered high gear. The ground pounded under her soles and she ran at a curved angle along the wall tracing an arc up. Right before she hit the wall she pressed a button on her wristwatch relaying a signal to her boots. The teen continued wall running for precious seconds and as she reached the apex of her acceleration and height felt (and might have heard) the click near her soles, as tiny microscopic treads sprouted giving her a a moment's purchase on the wall. Pushing off with her lower foot in a concentrated spring, she strained for the top of the wall grasping with both hands.

There was a notable grunt as her hands caught securely on the edge, and even as her finger tips whitened under the gloves she whipped her lower half into motion, swinging it up in tandem when she pulled hoping the motion would be enough. With another grunt first one leg and the other cleared the wall, pulling her upper body along for the ride (with a final push from her hands to be safe). In one rolling move she twisted her body so her legs were positioned against the wall as she fell. Less than 10 feet to the ground and she pushed with her legs sending her shooting forward in the air. She landed with a roll and resumed running clearing the 3rd course. She grinned a little at the clapping and whooping behind her.

Will Du was not amused. He glanced at the members lounging around and was further incensed that they seemed to be spurring on the amateur. He could read from their faces who had bet in support and who had bet against Possible. Many of them looked ecstatic at the thought of their next lunch shift.

He had been confident early on when she had noticeably balked at the accuracy training. She was a decent shot, but her reluctance was clear. The strength course had caused a brief frown but he was confident that he could reproduce or surpass her record easily enough. Now though it looked like she was going to pass his record in speed as well.

_It would be most unsettling to have her scores posted on the leader boards for all to see. _He thought darkly.

Will took his position as top agent very seriously, his every waking minute was dedicated to being the best, and that meant training or reading almost every moment that he wasn't off doing a mission. He was proud of his accomplishments, and quick to defend respect accorded to him from Director Betty. He had earned it over 10 long years of development as the youngest GJ agent in history. He wasn't about to let that title go without a fight.

* * *

Betty Director was more pleased with every step Kim took. She'd received weekly and monthly reports on Team Possible, noting their growth and whatever missions they took on. All the same there was nothing like assessing a potential agent with her one good eye, and better prosthetic. It was a disconcerting practice but she had grown used to two different views (mirroring perhaps the work she had to do in a global operation). Training herself to be able to handle observing her surroundings with the natural left eye, while her other showed videos, slow-mo replays with annotated data, and more, sometimes supplementing or augmenting her "normal" vision depending on her needs.

With another mental command the extraneous data closed and sent the signal to connect the computer system here (closed and off the grid for protection) to her eye. _Damn wireless hook up, scares the shit out of me every time I do it. _

The disconcerting feeling of energy being traded from the system to her eye continued, but allowed her to control the computer mentally. With another thought the view screen overlay turned into a 3D representation of the course below, a tiny figure representing the trainee. A constant scan from multiple angles meant the whole light display was accurate to the pixel.

_Coasting by, let's push her a little._

She looked in front of her and the model obediently followed her gaze. She stepped close to it bringing her hands into range and expanded the representation 5 times. The tiny yellow Kim was entering the 4th course in greater detail now. She flipped it so it was flat, and looked at several points in the upcoming map. Formations rose and fell and soon she was done redesigning the challenge. Another sweep of her hand for some final details and it was complete.

"There, let's see how she handles that."

* * *

Kim was breathing a little harder now. The terrain had gotten rougher with more bumps and unpredictable elevation. Further more, this was the decision making course. Without warning the terrain shifted into a another series of walls.

_I'm guessing the holograms are making the walls reach the ceiling._

Rising to block off her view of the exit, and she felt a slight rotation of the ground beneath her, shifting as she moved. She sprinted forward and was faced with two separate pathways. _Okay which side? _She sprinted left keeping her right hand along the wall. This side seemed to dip while the right path seemed to be elevated. _Might as well try to speed this up. _

Keeping her hand on the side she continued making her way through the puzzle. If the rumbling ground hadn't given it away, the shaking of the wall from her hands certainly would have.

_A giant boulder? That must be Wade's doing. _ She thought grimly sparing a brief glimpse behind her.

_And there it is, right on cue. _It was a big boulder, rough, heavy, and looked like it would flatten her. Instinctively she knew she wouldn't be hurt, but losing and having to face Will afterwards... _would almost be as bad, scratch that, it'd be worse_.

_Dodge, duck, or ignore. _There was a cove to the side she could duck into, or she could try to sprint ahead, dodging if she could. _Or I guess I could cheat. _Her boots were probably good for one more grip if it came to that.

She pushed ahead turning a corner, and saw the corridor up ahead narrowed. Sensing an opportunity she sped up once more, the boulder seconds behind her. A deft movement allowed her to jump off the wall kicking off in sequence until she was halfway up, just clearing the boulder as it rolled beneath her. As she watched it bowl past she dropped down in a crouch. _That's our Indiana Jones sequence of the day, check. _

With her hand on the wall she made quick progress and soon reached an exit to what she guessed was a maze. Another glance at the clock showed there was still another 10 minutes until she reached Will's time. As she cleared the walls, they lowered behind her and in front two pedestals appeared, one ascending and one descending.

_Okay high or low? Too bad I still can't see the yellow markers. _She considered it for a few more precious seconds then decided to aim for high ground. _ Might be able to see the goal from up high. _She gathered her breath and vaulted onto the pillar.

* * *

Ron had taken his eyes off Kim for now. He had every confidence she'd pass this course easily as well.

_It's not like KP'l sweat a little running and jumping. Besides, I've got a baby to watch. _He could only guess at what Director Betty would do to get a chance to research his baby sister if she had an inkling of what she was capable of.

_What's __**real**__ scary is that Hana hasn't even grown up yet. _For a moment Ron tried to imagine what it would be like when Hana was grown up... and drew a blank.

_Hey look at me, thinking about the future. _He grinned to himself as he watched Hana pick up flag waving duty from Rufus. Then she seemed to get bored and promptly stuck the flag into his shirt making him her focus for the first time since this whole thing started.

"I think I know that look. That's the old 'amuse me' stare isn't it?" He gave her forehead a little tap with his own.

Hana gurgled something in reply and grabbed onto his cheeks. Mindful of her new habit he quickly pulled back.

"Run?" Hana had a way of phrasing her words into both a question _and_ a declaration. It was also her primary activity of choice. The rather large open space in front of her beckoned, and she promptly gave him (what he suspected) was her coy, _'please brother' _smile.

"So _that's_ what Kim sees when I ask to drive her car." Ron shook his head.

"You get to take your secret agent training when you grow up Han. We've got enough trouble tying you down for nap time without giving you government training to boot." Bunching his eyebrows together for extra effect he explained a little more about why she would have to settle with his old playpen for now.

"It's a good playpen Hana, even kept cousin Shawn occupied for an hour once way back when. Don't tell anyone but Kim used it to practice her flips a long time ago." He mentally berated himself for giving her more ideas. "Not that that's what you should do when we get back. It may look big and sturdy but between the two of us using it as a trampoline when she flipped it over...it could be dangerous."

Hana had no clue what was going on. Usually hanging out with her big bro was pretty cool, but today there was more stuff to see! She definitely didn't need the protective restraint of an older brother. She pushed away with her hands as best as she could looking for an escape.

Nearby were a few convenient tar-friends she was sure would be willing to help. As interesting as Kim Possible giving Will Du a licking in the training course was, the siren call of a cute toddler was not to be denied (more so when the cute toddler knows it). Before long, a small group of agents had drifted over to see the newest addition to people they had regularly read about in reports (and for one very long month been required to emulate and study in particular). Beaming as cutely as she could Hana thought of sunlight, candy, and other positive feelings. Ron felt slightly more positive, and the rest of the agents practically broke out in wide grins. _Sunbeams for the soul. _(Was the approximate feeling they were getting)

Ron was once again swamped with the usual "She's so adorable!" and the ever popular "How old is she now?" and assorted ooh's and ahh's that accompany any adult interacting with children. He was proud of his cute sister to be sure, but hoped the attention would die down soon. Even as he shifted her weight in his arms to better secure her with all the grasping arms and handshakes, he turned his eyes back to Kim who was now at least 40 feet up in the air. Even as he watched her make another leap his senses screamed and a _twinge_ (would be how he would describe it later) rang out causing him to sink to his knees. What he didn't see was everyone else wobbling and coming close to falling as well.

Red lights and alarm klaxons began to blare throughout the facility. In the midst of all this he clutched harder only to realize in horror that Hana had wriggled out somehow. The ground underneath him trembled again and somewhere an explosion went off reducing half of Global Justice's agents to the ground this time. Confusion and chaos reigned for short minutes and the shouting and noise made it harder for him to concentrate.

_If I could just trace her feelings. _Then another mental image of his last view of Kim came back to him and he stood up quickly looking frantically to see if she had made it to the next ledge.

_Kim!_

* * *

Betty was as shocked as anyone down there, but as Director couldn't spare a moment and was already calling up security. A direct line to GJ base operations opened up in front of her.

"What is going on? Give me a status report, now!"

"Apologies, Director we just tracked down some kind of invasion in our system seconds ago. Then there were explosions in at least two of the platform shafts which you felt and heard. We're locking down the security breach in the firewalls, and I've ordered a complete lock down of the base." He was stressed but professional and succinct.

_If someone was invading then we'd want to try to trap them in the base assuming they got in, and if they're breaking out same thing. _She reminded herself to commend the man later after the situation was resolved.

"Any information on what the purpose was for the attack? Targets, or suspects of who it is?"

"Nothing yet, most of our security cameras haven't managed to identify a potential suspect, but they may be cloaking, or the attack on our systems may have something to do with it."

She moved closer to the security panel in the room to begin preparing orders for the agents. "Have you at least managed to isolate where the breach is?"

"Yes Ma'm we suspect the explosions were just a distraction and that the real objective is the research labs."

"Understood, put out the word to have all agents covering all exits, and I want a security perimeter set up here, here, and here." she pointed to various points on a joint map linked through their network.

He flashed a quick salute and the video closed.

Betty quickly scanned the training grounds. There! She could at least help Possible.

* * *

Kim reflected oddly enough that this was no longer even cause for a speed up in her heart rate. _What is this, like the 10__th__ time in 3 months I've had to hold on for dear life unless I want to fall to my death? Good realism from GJ though. Wonder what other tricks they've got up their sleeve for the rest of the course. _She was pleasantly surprised at the twist until the warning signals and red lights made it clear this wasn't standard procedure.

_Was it? _As best as she could determine from the shouts down below they weren't faking this. _Either way best start to find a way to get down._ _Should have gone with the lower route. _

Just as she finished pulling herself up she began to feel a draft blowing her hair up. The pillar she had leapt on was descending at the speed of an elevator back down to the surface. She could hardly believe Will was helping her out from the control platform. She leapt off before it descended completely only to be caught up in a bear hug by Ron who had rushed over as soon as he saw that she was safe and on her way down.

"Ron, what happened?' She said after giving him a quick squeeze to show she was alright.

"No clue Kim, one second we're watching you break records the next two tremors and I thought you had fallen off. I also seem to have let go of Hana in the confusion."

She snapped into mission mode. "Okay, let's go talk to Will, and look for Hana. She can't have gotten very far." Then winced and bit her lip at tempting fate.

Just as they reached the control panel, another voice came over the PA system. "Global Justice Agents, we have a breach at our base, someone or something has detonated two of the transport tubes, and is infiltrating our base as we speak. I need everyone to man their stations and set up a defensive perimeter according to Directive C P-1. Anyone injured should be escorted to the infirmary for now. _Move people!"_

As the agents hurried off to their posts, Kim and Ron both noticed Doctor Director appear at the doors making a line towards them.

"Sorry Team Possible, as you heard there was an attack. We're not sure who it is right now but we're on it. I hope you won't mind if I impose on you two to help as well?"

Ron gestured with his hand for Kim to go ahead. "Of course Director if you need us to help we're here in whatever capacity you need us for."

"What Kim said, but uh... Doc? Can you help me track down my little sister. She got free in the confusion and I haven't been able to find her yet."

"Of course Ronald, I'll put out a message to every agent, and I'll have security comb the surveillance cameras for any sight of her." She told him.

"I'll have Wade tap in so he can help too, uh if that's not too much Doctor Director." Kim offered quickly.

"We'd appreciate any assistance Mister Lode could give us." Betty answered with a curt nod stepping over to brief Will.

* * *

Wade had already been monitoring the situation and while he set up a separate program to help locate the missing girl, he focused more of his energies on figuring out who or what was behind the attack.

_Hmm... some kind of internal infiltration, plugged directly into the mainframe of GJ networks. _He typed rapidly scrolling through screens of data, _now if I could just isolate..._ "There!" Flushed with success he took a moment longer to respond to the incoming call from the Kimmunicator.

"Hey Wade! We've got a sitch down here."

"Already on it Kim. I've traced the infiltration, it seems like someone used an access port in one of the transporter tube tunnels to get a line into GJ. Whoever it is they're pretty good. This is sophisticated programming, I'll need a second to isolate and copy the program to study it..."

Doctor Director had returned by now with Will Du and both waited for info on what the purpose behind the attack was.

"-got it! It's set to relay codes to various parts of the Global Justice base and cause explosions by overloading the machinery. Whoever it was they wanted a lot of noise and flash."

"A diversion!" Kim, Will, and Betty said at once. Kim gave a grin at this looking at Betty while she rolled her eyes at Will.

"Mister Lode, is there any indication from the program what the diversion is supposed to be for?"

"It doesn't say anything but I'm certain I've seen this kind of programming before. Well at least some of it... argh, I could swear I've seen this kind of signature." The tech genius grew irritated typing faster.

"I'll give you an update as soon as I figure out who it is, and I'll message the GJ tech crew" Wade promised before signing off.

Director Betty clapped her hands. "In the meantime I want you two" she pointed at Will and Kim "to go to R&D and cover that area. That should be the most valuable facility in the base. Ronald you come with me to the command centre and you can look over the security vids. Move people!" she clapped once more heading towards the exit. Will following closely behind.

Team Possible looked at each other. "See ya in a bit KP?"

"With the company I'll be having you can bet on sooner than later. We'll have this squared away in time for some lunchtime BN Ron."

He grinned at this. "I bet the meal in question that we won't make it since you'll want another shot at the course."

She hmph'ed at his teasing. "Just for that I'll go slow enough to just beat Will's time."

"Some girlfriend you turned out to be, making me and my sister starve." He griped before giving her a smile. "Take care KP."

"You got it." She leaned in to give him a kiss when the red lights flooded the area and another set of klaxons went off. In the distance they felt another tremor signalling another explosion taking place.

They exchanged glances and with a nod of understanding they both headed off in their separate directions.

* * *

**R&D**

Will made his way with measured strides towards the department housing GJ's tech development and research. Top agents don't go around running willy nilly like the public after all, crisis be damned.

Behind him and catching up fast was the amateur. Too bad there was nothing for her to do really. He'd be there along with a small squad of GJ agents to guard the area. Whether he realized it or not her performance earlier had left him in a sour mood. So when he barked orders at the agents stationed outside and inside the section it held a bit more edge than his voice usually carried. Most of the time it just held confidence and arrogance.

As he set to work positioning his men for ambushes and clear line of sight he wondered what the Director was thinking pairing him up with Kim Possible again. Did she not trust him to manage the defence here by himself? Was she already entrusting Possible with responsibility when she hadn't even earned her GJ badge yet? The idea gnawed at him helped along by the way some of the younger recruits (mostly female) snapped salutes or asked for autographs from their role model.

Just as he was about to shout at them for fraternizing on duty- ***BOOM*** a rumble threw him off his feet, the doors to R&D suffering a concussion blast that made them rattle and expand outward as the shockwave from an explosion passed. Flames licked at the edges of the door kept barely at bay. Another ***BOOM* **explosion threw a few unlucky agents to the wall and he got up in time to be hurtled back by a flying recruit. He let out a grunt as he felt his back scream in protest as the rough edges of the wall scraped against his weight and the body of another person.

His vision swam and he tried to catch a glimpse of red hair somewhere before giving up as a hazy mist descended.

_Damn -_he thought weakly before passing out.

* * *

**GJ Command Centre**

"What was that? Tell me someone has something on locking down the program causing the explosions!" The Director all but glared out of her one eye in displeasure at her staff around her.

"We're sorry Ma'm we've managed to isolate the program with the help of Wade Lode but the explosion just now in the R&D department and other facilities were unrelated to the program. It seems like somehow small scale bombs were deposited, we're still trying to get a trace on how that was possible. " He explained sheepishly.

Betty refrained from groaning and crossed her arms in front of her. "Then I suggest everyone work faster. We cannot let any more casualties occur, and I want to know who to blame for this."

Ron was sympathetic but there was nothing much he could do and his priority had to be Hana. He was shown a nearby terminal and was doing his best to track what had happened in the training room after the explosion had sent everyone to the ground.

Noise stopped then started again when the main video screen was replaced with a picture of Wade.

"Ron, I think I know who set up this attack. It took a bit of work but I remembered the tracking devices I've been having Kim put on the super villains ever since that encounter with Lucre. They've got some limited recording capabilities but by correlating the data from the chip and records from GJ I think I've got a pretty good recreation of what happened two weeks ago."

"Wade I appreciate the heads up, but uh... wouldn't telling Director be a better idea?" Ron replied scratching his head most of the explanation going right over him.

"I can do you one better, watch this." With that he thumbed a key and a new video began playing.

"Hey that's us a few weeks ago with Professor Dementor."

"Yah, we know what happened, but now I'll show you what happened after you guys put him on the transporter tube."

Betty and the rest of the staff watched as Wade recreated in CG the proceeding events. Dementor was there stuck in pink lipstick goo and whizzing down the tube right into a detention cell. At least that's what should have happened. Instead halfway down about the platform came to a screeching halt next to a small maintenance shaft.

"How did that happen, and how is it no one noticed this happening?" Betty wanted to shout out but refrained intent on gathering the rest of the intel first.

Wade did some more typing and a cross section of the goop trapped villain appeared and everyone watched repulsed as his helmet began to vibrate. Dementor barked out "Accept call!" and his helmet stilled.

There was a flash of light and suddenly next to him a man in a jumpsuit with a large letter A on his head appeared next to the sticky mess on the platform.

"Agent Alpha." Betty gritted her teeth this time.

"Greetings Professor Dementor, I am agent Alpha here at the bidding of my master, head of WWE."

"Yes, yes greetings to you too, and now... if it would not be so much trouble WOULD YOU PLEAZE get me out now before dispensing with the salutations?

"O-of course sir my apologies." There was some laser lights and then Professor Dementor stepped out of the goo.

"Much better, now do you have it?"

"Yes sir, here it is, I hope it is satisfactory."

"Indeed," and then his voice dialed down a few notches "speaking of which is our deal still on?"

Agent Alpha looked around before leaning down to whisper back. "Yes we would be happy to accept any of your henchmen for a..." he paused here screwing up his face to remember the wording "training seminar at the reputed enterprise that is WWE."

"Good good, yes then let us begin with the tampering of Global nothings system." He cackled wildly at that before opening up a service port and using the device handed to him began to upload the program that would trigger explosions when the command was given.

Under his breath "Teach them to unionize, I treat them like family with group vacations and zis is how they repay me?"

After he was done they both seemed to flash away leaving the goons stuck in the goopy mess which made its way back down to the cell as planned.

The video then resumed to Wade. "I'm fairly certain that was accurate and we should have isolated the program that Dementor installed. Someone also needs to check on that shaft port to see if there was a physical device left behind sending out a signal or something."

Betty motioned with her hands "I'll have someone go up there right away. Thanks again Mister Lode." She took a moment to nod her head at him before turning her attention away to other things.

"Wade! Hana kind of got away you got any way of tracking her?"

"Sorry Ron I've been running facial recognition software through the feeds but nothing yet. I'll get back to you the moment something comes up though."

Ron was disappointed but did his best to wave it off. "No problemo dude, I know you'll have something."

Wade nodded slowly and the vid cut off again resuming the normal status screen.

_Where are you sis?_

_

* * *

_

**R&D**

Kim felt a dull ache thudding through her head. She had kept clear of the immediate area surrounding the department she was tasked with protecting since Will Du had everything in hand and she didn't want to antagonize him. She would have been surprised to find that her thinking was in line with his for the most part, while she was happy and gracious to sign for the recruits there was such a thing as time and place.

_If I ever come to GJ I'm going to do some training- _she had been thinking when the first explosion went off inside.

Even as her body automatically began to head towards the facility in the hopes of helping a second one shook her off balance and dust and bits of stone shook free overhead. She saw briefly a few agents get flung into the air by the blast wave and she dimly recalled seeing Will Du get sacked. She had been lucky enough that no one had flown into her and she was only covered in dust instead of some of the larger pieces of shrapnel.

_So much for trusting us with guarding this place. _ She griped inwardly getting up on shaky legs.

All around her people in GJ uniforms were groaning and slowly picking themselves up. She helped up a few and did her best to prop up the others against the walls away from the doors that were bent outward with small flames littered nearby.

A quick check was miraculously positive. A few had suffered some broken bones from the impact and many more were suffering from cuts bruises and a few burns. One or two had been more severely hurt because of their proximity to the explosion but luckily enough the R&D department had a more than state of the art fire detection system. Had it not been for the defensive measures in case something went critical with new inventions chances are many people would have been hurt even more or worse. Kim was hardly shocked to see a dampening field appear which looked to be what had stopped much of the destructive force.

_Wonder if Wade developed it first or copied it from GJ? Or maybe they were working together? _She thought groggily shaking her head to clear out the ringing.

Overall no one was fatally injured and that was good news. Unfortunately aside from a few people that had been on the outer perimeter of the defence no one would be up to task if there was another attack. She finally got around to helping Will even as she called Wade for back up. Lifting an agent up off him proved easier and soon she had both of them resting against the wall.

"Possible" Will murmured.

"Right here top agent. I called in for help, Betty should be sending first aid and more help soon."

"N-ugh not that...bomb" He said plaintively struggling to keep his head from bouncing any more.

"Yah I think we all caught that one. There was at least 2 maybe 3 explosions so three bombs?" She repeated.

"D-ur diversion. Blew up lab." He got out before slumping over once more.

"Oh snap! He's right." She shot up and momentarily reached out to balance herself as the world spun around. She activated her wrist Kimmunicator and started talking as soon as Wade appeared. "Wade the R&D got bombed so they either got what they came for or this is also part of the distraction. Tell the Director."

Wade nodded at this and promised he'd tell Ron she was okay while he passed along her message. He also took a moment to fill her in on who they were up against.

"Dementor? Great just when I think... note to self stop trusting they're secured until you see them in the cell." She moaned a little holding her head but was feeling better by the second. "Wade any idea what the real target is then if it's not here?"

"Not sure Kim. Like you said maybe they got what they wanted and now they're destroying the evidence but I don't think so. Something tells me you're right and this was just another diversion."

"Hate to say it Wade but Will was the one who worked that out, he told me right before he passed out again."

This time Wade looked interested. "Oh and now you give credit to Will "pompous first agent can shove it" Du too? Are you guys going to be partners someday after all?" He teased.

She snorted. "So not Wade. Ugh- he got lucky this time. Anyway notify me once you get a trace of either Dementor or Agent Alpha. I'm putting them away for good this time." She punched her gloved hands together. A steely look of determination overcoming the weariness and pain.

* * *

A figure moved from shadow to shadow using (ironically enough) the vents from time to time evading units of agents. Agent Alpha the right hand man of Gemini had long since forgotten his real name. It was buried along with his past as he was reborn into the service of WWE. He knew of the fate of his predecessors and was determined to learn from their failures. He abandoned fear and his sense of self preservation. After months of hard work and successful missions he had risen to the prime position. Alpha had visions of power and grandeur, eventually he would supplant Gemini himself given time and opportunity.

For now though he would lull his master into complacency, usurping more and more responsibility and power from his master as he proved himself before he struck. Gemini for all his intelligence was sadly blind and inept when it came to his sister, a problem as she was the main obstacle to bringing WWE into prominence as a force to be reckoned with. It seemed like they were destined forever to play on opposite sides of a chess piece neither gaining a real advantage over the other. He would see to it that this stopped once he was crowned as head of the organization. The readout on his digital display indicated he had finally reached the section he was aiming for. Doctor Director may have had state of the art security but between Dementor and Gemini's resources they had figured out a way to bypass her defensive measures. The agent continued down dropping onto the floor silently and immediately rolling away a short signal disabling most of the cams. It was the best they could do and while it would alert the enemy of his location, the security of the head directors room would buy him the time he needed.

He glanced around noting the utilitarian decoration and mused that in another life he would have preferred to serve Gemini's sister. He seemed to have gone out of the way to be her opposite with tacky and superfluous decorations in his own private headquarters that Alpha had been lucky enough to see once.

_Efficient and a decided lack of waste_. He would adopt a similar approach to a degree when he took over.

A sensor sweep indicated a power grid near the desk and after a few minutes the holographic display scanner appeared beckoning him with it's secrets. Here it was, the plans and access codes for the whole of GJ's base of operations with key data on it's regional branches and other information that was sure to help them win this private war.

He permitted himself a sinister grin and a low chuckle. _Well well Betty let's see how good your security really is._

Unknown to him small eyes watched bright with curiosity.

* * *

**Command Centre**

"Director I think you want to hear this."

Both Ron and Betty looked in the tech's direction at this. It had been minutes after Wade had reported back in about the secondary explosions being another diversion. The whole base was in chaos with large numbers being sent to the infirmary and they were only just getting things back under control enough to do damage assessment.

Ron was relieved to hear Kim had been okay after the explosion, strangely enough he felt he would have instinctively felt something if she was in any life threatening harm (which kept him from freaking out hearing about the explosion in the first place and helped him stay focused on Hana).

"The security team reported that the surveillance cam's in your room just went down, we suspect that to be the real target."

Betty swore this time and Ron dropped his jaw in surprise hearing the normally cool headed director letting loose.

"He's probably after the plans and schematics. I'll hit Sheldon so hard his metal hand will pop right off when I see him again." She said frustration making her posture rigid.

"Security cams went down but thankfully the heat signature detection devices inside there are still functioning. We're getting 3 heat signatures in there."

"Three of them, one must be Agent Alpha, but who are the other two?" The Director was taken aback briefly, could he have brought in extra help? Was it possible Dementor had returned somehow?

"Hana and Rufus!" Ron exclaimed before the tech could answer.

A few of the staff turned to look at the boy's outburst while the staff member merely nodded surprised. "Subject member Ron Stoppable is correct. From the size of the heat signatures we suspected some kind of animal and small child. It would definitely fit the readings we're getting from the room. They're in terrible danger we need to send a team there right away!" He fidgeted nervously with his data pad. "There's no telling what he might do to her, she could be held hostage."

Ron snorted then caught himself at the shocked looks at his (perceived) callousness. "Yah! No telling what she-he might do her. Oh, save my baby sister!" He did his best to inject fear and dismay into his voice.

Betty raised an eyebrow in his direction while she pinned him where he stood with her eye. _Dang, overplayed it._

He felt a sweat break out and fanned himself. "Man uh... yah, sure am worried about my little sister with that big bad baddie. I'm gonna uh... call Kim and tell her where to go!" He broke off and ran out into the hallway.

Doctor Director wanted to get to the bottom of it, but admittedly had more important concerns. Alpha was _not_ getting away, and with any luck he'd reveal where Shel-_Gemini's _new hideout was once they captured and interrogated him.

She started pointing. "Okay people I want-"

* * *

**Director's Quarters**

Even with all the preparation they had done it had been impossible to find out the exact security protocols housing GJ's schematics and secrets. Gemini had equipped him with a variety of resources and tools developed to crack whatever they possessed. Although, with what he was seeing here...bio-rhythm scans, DNA, and something new... it would take time he didn't have. Unnoticed a drop of sweat collected on his brow rolling down as he worked feverishly.

"Light!"

"What the he-" Alpha felt his heart stop for a moment before it beat again impossibly fast. He spun around pulling his gun. _"WHO_ was that?"

"_Li-ghts! _The voice came again and this time he could recognize the sound as that of a child. _That doesn't make any sense._ _What on earth would a child be doing here?_

A quick scan of the room revealed a small Asian girl moving around on the desk fiddling with the knick knacks. A pink mole rat was scampering around her and... _was it glaring at him? Impossible._

There was no time to muse about that, he'd just have to take care of it...well actually it was just a child. No reason to do anything. He was evil but murdering children was hardly part of his plan, that kind of senseless waste was Gemini's M.O.

"Hello there little girl. You're a long way from home aren't you?" He chuckled briefly as a thought struck him. "Didn't know Global Justice was hiring children now, you're not an android are you?"

She cocked her head swivelling to face the voice of the stranger, eyes dancing with mischief. Hana babbled a bit but when she turned back to gum on a paperweight Alpha figured he was safe, never mind the pet she was with. He turned his back on her with time of the essence.

"Just need to key in this code matrix and -**grunt.**" His head snapped forward as the weight of something tackled him from behind. Tiny chubby legs and hands filling his peripheral vision. Childish peals of laughter surrounding his head.

"What the-" Fingers covering his eyes threw him off balance, before a wedging pain from his neck caused him to windmill around hoping to catch himself. Just as he was about to grab the miserable brat and throw it off a kick forced him to the ground. The damn thing was using him like a trampoline!

"You miserable little-" The agent rolled over getting to his knees even as he pulled out his gun again. "**WHERE'D** you go?" He screamed swinging the weapon around.

He saw a blur with a tiny line of blue fire that made no sense. Blasts of laser fire traced the moving robot (he was sure no human child could move that fast) and he swore desperately. The sound of childish laughter at high speeds was grating his nerves and he started firing randomly hoping to get lucky.

Hana was having fun there seemed to be fireworks going off all around her. Or fireflies she'd seen those on TV. She was so busy admiring them she didn't notice the small blast hole in the wall and tripped on it banging her head against a cupboard as she crashed into ground.

"Ha! Got you, you tiny freak!" He would have felt bad with her rubbing her head plopped on the ground like that but he couldn't care less now.

"Should have stayed at home." He taunted lining up the sights. "Bye girlie.." ***BOOM***

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note:**

Whoo! This one is uh kinda late huh? Sorry about that. Been a crazy hectic couple of months so writing was put on the back burner, but here's the next chapter. Things will get even more crazy next time so look forward to that. I'll try to update more regularly.

* * *

**Preview: **

"What was going on in there?"

"No clue, shouldn't we be focusing on the suspect Director?"

"I want answers, and I want answers now! What were you trying to do in here?"

"Oh Agent Du nothing much, just THIS!"

"Aw man...that is just sick and wrong! What IS that thing?"

"**Hello... **_Sister."_


	13. GoJ: Gemini

**Days of Hana**

**Globalization of Justice: Protocols**

_by unwrittenaria_

disclaimer: no profit, all fun, KP and co. belongs to their respective owners

* * *

Kim was making her way to the Director's office, when she got the call from Ron.

"Kim, you heard the com announcement?"

"About Alpha? I'm on my way Ron. I'll be there in minutes- does Betty have a way in?"

"Not sure, I had to run out when they told me Hana and Rufus was in the room with Alpha." He whispered. "They've lost the video feeds... but they'll know soon enough if something happens."

"Ron, I think we could trust Betty."

"It's not the Director I don't trust Kim." He told her wearily.

She sighed, but decided now was not the time to belabor the point. "Tell Betty I'll meet up with her agents there, I'm going to call Wade and see if he has a route in."

"Got it Kim." He said with a sharp nod.

"Head in the game Ron, this isn't over yet." She gave him a smile before she signed off and called Wade.

"Hey Kim. I've identified bits of signature coding from Dementor and Gemini, but there's one more bit I can't quite identify." He told her without preamble.

"Keep on it Wade. For now, I need to know if you can help get me into the Director's private room. Hana and Rufus-"

He cut in. "Are in the room with Alpha. I know, I've been trying to open up the space, but Betty re-designed that room and everything about it to be... _Wade_ proof." He sported a look that was equal parts self-conscious and sheepish at this.

Kim raised an eyebrow, projecting dry sarcasm with a hint of her mother's _"Now_ _boys..." (_thrown in for good measure when Anne caught the twins _"_re-designing_"_ the toaster)_._

"Been doing some extra-curric Wade?"

The dark teen sucked his Slurpster slyly. "You could say that. In the mean time, if you have to, try the wrist Kimmunicator functions. I've upgraded the stealth scrambler option, so if you drain the battery, the power _should_ be sufficient to create a small scale EMP burst that would short out the security defenses. The only problem is you might fry the Director's systems as well."

Kim filed the option away for now. "Rocking the gadgets as always, Wade. I'll have to check with the Director, but I'll hold off until I need it. Good luck with the computer stuff...and see if you can limit data on Hana after this blows over."

She stopped when she saw the door to Betty's quarter. Half a dozen trainees and recruits were gathered around working on the door. _Okay, please tell me everyone's got a better plan than standing around and waiting?_

She didn't bother wasting time with pleasantries. "Any progress?"

"No we uh-Ms. Possible! We're working on it right now, the Director... has some special measures in place." Reported the nearest agent.

"I've noticed. Get me a line to-" Muffled thumping and shouting noises were heard, drawing their attention back to the hostage situation.

"Hana!" Kim jumped a little when she heard shots fired in rapid succession followed by more muffled shouting. "Down!" Kim shouted bringing her wrist up, an icon lighting up with a flash. Saying a mental apology to Betty (again) she slapped the button.

The other agents looked confused, until the wristwatch made a loud hum, followed by a wave of something that short circuited all of their equipment. Sparks from the door control panel made the metal gate open and close, just as the lights went out.

"Door's open. _Take him down_!"

Kim lead the charge, flipping through the entrance ready to kick Alpha and his over-sized A into a wall. She had to bite back a cry when she cleared the entrance.

* * *

Alpha was scared now. What the hell was he dealing with? He'd read reports on Team Possible, and he knew seeing Kim Possible would mean trouble certainly. Ron Stoppable was a footnote, some kind of failed squabble between Gemini and Betty Director. This naked mole rat...Rufus? His feverish memory supplied a file with words like Rufus factor on it.

It had been that file and the earlier one, which made him suspect that the only thing keeping the World Wide Evil empire from taking over... was incompetence. Surely, an opposing organization studying and wasting money on children and animals was a waste of funds? Might Gemini have some kind of leftover familial ties that kept him from striking decisively? Well, as the Alpha and the soon to be lord and master of an evil organization, he'd be free of those shackles.

Except...somehow this (both of these) tiny freaks were making him nervous. _How the hell does a __naked mole rat know Kung-Fu, much less move that fast? _

He swore it was definitely glaring at him, and those eyes were definitely glowing blue. He was about to finish off the baby, only to have the gun explode in his hands. Somehow, the naked mole rat had leapt at his hand, and now both hands were bleeding and burnt.

"You _freaks,_ stay away! I'm going to-" His threat was cut off again when the lights cut out, even as he felt the toddler back on his head balancing precariously on his shoulders. She seemed to be playing drums, his head pounded by a flurry of tiny fists, before the back of his head exploded in pain from an unseen blow (Hana indulging in her headbutting).

Head rattling, and a truly fearsome headache between his eyes, he slumped down falling face first onto the floor. He looked up briefly, to see the tiny Asian girl and her pet standing in front of him. Eyes watering, he could barely make out the toddlers' scrunched up face as she stuck her tongue out at him, while the other gave him a buck toothed grin.

_Gemini is going to kill me. _He groaned.

* * *

Kim's vision was adjusting to the low light, and she could just make out the Mystical Weapon and Rufus posing triumphant over their downed foe. There was a ghostly dissipation of blue fire from their forms, that she almost convinced herself she'd seen. Still, with agents right behind her she should probably get them to "safety".

She picked up both of them, getting happy sounds from both bundles as she took a moment to nuzzle Hana's cheek with her own (Hana obliged with a muffled squeal and giggle).

"Glad you're safe Hana, we really need to talk about your habit of getting free and into trouble." She said, relaxing a little now that the girl was safely in her arms.

"Miss Possible, is Agent Alpha down?"

"Yes, I think the EMP just now made his weapons and gear short circuit, and it blew up in his face." She said thinking quickly. "Lock him up and get him back to a holding cell, I think the Director will want to talk to him very soon."

She planned to be there as well. There was no way she was going to let Dementor get away after all this, especially since she was part of the reason this had happened in the first place (with the botched transfer). While no one could point any fingers, she was determined to see this through to the end, and if that meant bagging Gemini as well, all the better. (That and she suspected from the looks of it, Director Betty was going to need to redo her room.)

She cradled Ron's sister close _("K'm"),_ Rufus on her shoulder as she retreated back through the doors, letting the agents in to cuff and escort the prisoner. She was about to use her Kimmunicator to call Ron, then she looked at it. The smoking piece of tech was slipped into her cargo pants. With luck, maybe some of it could be recycled or fixed by Wade.

"Thanks again Miss Possible." One of the agents gave her a salute.

"No big, I didn't really do anything this time." She gave a weak smile, turning around to reunite the siblings. _Looks like I'll get to surprise him in person. _

* * *

Betty bit back a curse. The scrolling list of injured was long, longer than it had any right to be. Knowing every one of these names, details about their family, recognizing each of them by face. It was something that took dedication, one of the things she prided herself on. So seeing the list of them here... tech, service, security, recruits, agents, and staff. She would make Sheldon pay.

She frowned. Agent Alpha was in custody now, as soon as they finished tallying up the damage she'd go down herself, and she would get him to _sing._

_Meanwhile there was something I wanted to ask..._

She was cut off before she could start. Kim Possible returned with Hana and Rufus in tow, to more cheering and clapping. It had been a tense period, information had come in that Ron Stoppable's sister had made her way into a secure compound (_she reminded herself to make a note of how on earth that was possible). _Certainly, when the readings from the room indicated weapon discharge, many had paled at the idea of a child being hurt, much less one with close ties to subject Stoppable. Minutes ago all signals had flat lined, and everyone held their breath as contact was cut off suddenly. Wade had checked in again to tell them about the EMP, and while Bety wasn't pleased, she put it aside with an innocent life at stake.

"Man, Kim! Hana...Rufus buddy! I was freaking out over here. Getting close to monkey, insect, Wannaweep levels of freak all at once. Everyone okay?"

"Everyone but Agent Alpha, Ron. I don't think he's going back to report to Gemini anytime soon."

"F'reflys! Pretty." Hana threw in her two cents, before she latched onto him, comfortably snuggled between the two teens. Rufus relaxed, duty done.

Betty felt her anger and guilt flicker for a moment, seeing the group hug. She'd have to hold onto this image for later, when she had to write a report about the wounds GJ had taken today.

"It's good to see she's okay, Ronald."

"It hurricane rocks Doc! But then again that's Team Possible and Global Justice! The good guys always win!" Ron exclaimed to another rousing cheer of the staff around them.

"Not over yet, Ron. We still haven't cracked what Gemini wanted to do in the first place."

"Quite right Kimberly, I suggest all of you get checked out at the medical bay. We can take it from here."

"Huh, I uh-" Ron looked curiously at her, until he saw the soot and dirt on Kim and the slight bump on Hana's forehead. "Right! C'mon guys, let's get you two checked out."

"Ron I'm fine, I don't need a-" Kim began to protest.

"I'd appreciate it, if you could look in on Agent Du while you're getting patched up Miss Possible." Director Betty intervened.

Kim sighed, knowing she was beat. She _did_ owe him for the tip off earlier, besides it would be plain rude not to go check up on the injured. Kim also knew a bit of first aid, and a little more besides (_thank you, missions in the middle of nowhere_) from her mother, so she could probably help out if they were shorthanded.

"Okay," and here she turned to the Director, "-but the moment there's an update on Gemini or Dementor, _we_ want **in**. _Please and thank you_**."** she stared until she got her affirmation.

"Whadya' say Hana? Up for seeing if top secret organizations have candy for their patients?" Optimism high in Ron's voice.

"C'mon, candy boy." Kim sighed rolling her eyes with an exasperated grin, before she led them all off to the medical bay.

Betty glanced one last time at the group, before her eye provided her with a private video stream of Alpha being escorted along a hallway to his holding cell.

* * *

**Medical Bay**

Will Du was not pleased. It would be safe to say that had he been any more _less_ pleased he'd be downright pi- _he was not pleased_.

All around him was evidence of a sting gone wrong. People lying in casts, or on IV drips. Most of them had been sedated, a few were fine, but others were required to stay in for observation.

His own situation involved some bruises, and a large gash that would keep him from stretching properly for at least a month. Just thinking about the training he'd have to do, to get back into top condition made his head throb. Doubly galling was that he'd been essentially sidelined this whole time. The capture had gone down, and he'd been in a cot while it happened.

_So much for being the top agent. _He thought bitterly. _First the training, and now this, the Director will probably ask me to hand over my keys when I get discharged._

Further incensing him was the fact that he had no way to get a status update on the situation. No general PA announcements had been made, and the medical bay itself was designed to keep from over stimulating it's patients- which meant no com links. Everyone who had been brought in had no further information. Judging by the lack of explosions (in the last half an hour that he had been awake) the situation was under control.

Just as he was about to get up and demand information on what had happened, he spotted a flash of red and yellow come in. Even top agents need a break, and he gently laid back down closing his eyes. Bad enough that the amateur had saved the day _again,_ buying her more points with the director, it was infinitely worse that she might have come down to tell him in person. He'd feign sleep first.

"Ron, stop babying me! I fell down and got a little dirty, _that's all_."

"Chillax, KP. Also, I'll have you know Hana takes offense to the term. Nothing wrong with a little marinating after the mission's accomplished. That in no way constitutes _babying!"_ Came the voice from somewhere to his left, still a ways off.

"Fine, but let's get that bump checked out first."

"Yah, Hana's feeling a little grumpy about it. Doesn't hurt as much though, maybe it'll teach her to stop head butting things."

"Ron!"

"What? I'm serious, cranial shock and head injuries are a terrible thing for a developing child. Us Stoppables' may have a hard head, but that's no reason to go around showing it off."

He heard a light laugh at this bit of idiocy. "I'm sure being hard-headed is the least of your worries when it comes to what you put on display."

"What'd you mea- Oh, _C'mon!_ Again with the pants?" Amazingly enough, Will could picture the next scene by the audio alone. Stoppable with his fist up in the air in mute(-ish) anger.

"Relax, Ron. I'm sure Hana will have better luck with that part of the Stoppable legacy. I would keep the fist pumping down around her though."

"Good idea. Okay, let's get you checked out sis."

"Be with you in a sec. Saw someone I have to talk to."

He didn't hear anything after this, so he assumed Stoppable had headed off to see a nurse. It was hard to distinguish, but he eventually narrowed down the sound of her footsteps, making their way through the ward, finally coming to a stop near the foot of his cot.

"Hey Will, I know you're awake, so stop pretending." Came her voice, light and amused.

He though about the humiliation involved with him laid up while she collared the criminal again, and decided the only way to preserve his pride was to pretend he just woke up. He faked a yawn and opened his eyes. If she wanted to believe the glare was from being woken up, well he would not feel unduly concerned.

"Hello, _Kimberly_. I assume you're here to brief me?" His voice came out clipped and weaker than he would have liked.

"Nothing much, bagged Agent Alpha, rescued the kids, y'know the _usual_." She said airily.

"Well congratulations are in order I guess. Let me guess, you did it all by yourself this time?" He all but sneered.

Kim caught herself before she could throw more snark at him. She'd been glib so far because... _well __just look at him! _But she'd come over here to do something different.

"Not exactly, _Will (I'm trying aren't I?) _I uh... came over to say thanks. It was a good tip off about the distraction. Wade and everyone else ended up doing a lot of the heavy lifting..." she trailed off, and Will turned back to observe a strange smile from the redhead.

"Anyway, I wanted to...thank you for that." She finished awkwardly feeling odd flashbacks to a science room earlier in the week.

Will seemed to consider this, quickly discarding it with a shrug of his neatly coiffed hair. "It's what I was trained to do."

There was another pregnant silence, what would have emerged (kicking and screaming?) would have to wait for another time. Kim wasn't flustered, really, just... anxious to see how Hana was.

"Anyway, I'll see you... around. Hope you get better. Who knows what GJ would do without you?" She recovered.

"GJ will operate just as well, Miss Possible. After all, I'm _merely _their top agent. An organization like mine is much more than their top agent." Will said proudly.

Kim crossed her arms wondering how they managed to fit him into the bed. "Later Will." She said with a wave as she left.

"Stop by at the training hall with Stoppable, you should finish the course so I can set the next standard." Will called after her.

Kim whipped around to catch a quicksilver smile(?), and shook her head as she continued down the ward.

The orderly would find patient 12 in a much better mood, when she stopped by to give him his lunch later on.

* * *

**Detention Cell E - A Ward**

There were flickers of lights worming their way through his closed eyes. Even that seemed to hurt, after the pounding he had taken. _What now? How long...ugh have I been out?_

Returning to consciousness can be unpleasant, more so if you wake up to find yourself in a maximum security cell.

Agent Alpha growled a bit, as he forced his eyelids to let the light in slowly. He had been restrained, stripped of everything that could have given him an advantage. No doubt the echoes of footsteps were that of the legendary GJ director herself, coming in to give him a talking to.

_How... quaint, like an erring schoolboy. _He mused even as he closed his eyes again. He could sense _it_ deep in his body. _It would seem things are still going according to plan. _

Low murmuring was heard from outside. He managed to pick up "his – vitals?"

"Good." Was the last clear word he heard before the gate phased open, force field powering down, and the physical bars retracting to let to the Director through.

"I hate games Alpha, so why don't you just tell me what your boss is up to."

"Surely you jest, Doctor Director. You know what he does to the people who betray him. As it is, I think I'll rather _enjoy_ my accommodations." He gave her a lazy smile.

She smiled back, although the look was all too predatory for his taste. "That's a shame then, I was thinking I'd ship you back to him with a thank you note."

The prisoner eyed her with suspicion. "Why would you- no!" He paled a bit as he saw what she was up to. "How do you know he won't believe me?"

Her smile turned merciless and cold. "He'll be too busy seeing blood from my note to care. I hardly need to be the one to tell you how... button happy my brother is? I daresay any mention of me will be enough to get him to dismiss anyone in the vicinity, regardless of the reason."

"So this is the way Global Justice operates? Blackmail and coercion?"

"Oh, no. I'm merely setting you free, in a fashion, if you decide not to cooperate." The matter of fact delivery belied the threat in her eye. "You'll be free to do as you please once we ship you off. Whatever happens will be on your head, o_r_ you could cooperate. My _brother_ is a dangerous man, and he needs to be stopped before more events like today can happen. Unlike him, I care about the well being of my associates." The Director continued in crisp business tones.

"I see. What happens if I talk? A few years, or a life sentence of armed guard house arrest? Locked away until WWE falls?" He chuckled with derision.

"Maybe, but I'll negotiate what benefits I can." Her placid features sharpened. "You hurt people under my command, one way or another justice will be served."

Alpha sneered.

"So this is the best thing you could come up with? I help, and maybe some sunshine after a few years of good behavior? Is it any wonder more people aren't on this side?" He laughed contemptuously,

"Fair enough. Then again, I'm not the one in a cell having botched a mission, am I?" she said, unfazed.

"Good luck withthat, _Director._" He all but spat. "I'll take my chances with Gemini, there's a reasonable chance I'll _still _have more of a life that way."

He watched. Any minute now, they'd haul in the more serious interrogators and he'd be stuck here. His smile turned malicious, causing the Director to look alarmed, for the first time since stepping into the cell.

"-Or I guess I could wait for my rescue call. Accept call." He said.

Betty had her pistol up and out, even as she sprang forward. "NO!-" and the guards behind her were raising their weapons, when a bright white light surged in the cell throwing them all back.

"Well done, Alpha." Intoned the cold voice of WWE. "You will be richly rewarded when we return."

"Thank you master." Alpha said humbly, prostrating himself on one knee. Strong metal hands reached out to rip off his energy shackles and soon he was rubbing his wrists.

Betty looked calm even as she faced up the monstrosity before her. "Sheldon, what have you done to yourself?" She said in slow horror.

"You like, _sister?_ Testing out some new equipment. I figure a good test run would be destroying GJ, and YOU! HAHAHAH!" From the behemoth of muscled mass came the voice of Gemini.

A slow shadow loomed over Betty even as she called out to her communicator. "I need back up, and fast, in the Detention Ward. NOW!" She said scrambling to get up, picking up a rifle from the downed guard.

"Dear sister, is this how you would want our parents to see us?" Gemini mocked.

"Mom's not here so I'll have to do the disciplining. It can stay our sibling secret, _Sheldon._" she said even as she hit the lock down switch for the cell.

A terrible cry of rage was shut off as the cell closed itself off. Betty was too experienced to relax yet and was proven right, when the cell door noticeably bulged from the tremendous force applied against it. The force field flickered briefly, sparks shooting out before it came back online. It would be minutes, maybe seconds, before he broke out of there. She'd have to get Wade and the tech's to design a better cell soon.

"**WHERE** **IS MY **_**BACKUP**_?"

* * *

**Medical Bay**

"There, see Ron? It was no big, just a little dirt." She said, annoyed that Ron had pestered her until she gave in to a check up.

"Better safe than sorry Kim. Besides, you know your mom would be mondo mad if she found out I let you just walk off." He said, apologizing while not quite saying the words. "Look at the bright side! We all got candy, didn't we Hana?"

Hana was in her own little gumdrop world, talking and paying attention was a distant obligation, taking time that could be better spent sucking on the next gumdrop (that Rufus fed her once he unwrapped them). Ron thought on this for a moment, and mentally spent the next minute re-designing his plans for this years Halloween haul.

For once, it might be better if he didn't go for a two person party with Kim. The amount of candy Hana had milked out of the fawning nurse was _unbelievable!_ She'd practically scored them the whole jar!

"Is there anything you can't do Hana?" He said to her cheerfully. His reply was more contented humming and gumming.

Kim could see it play out like he'd drawn a map. She absently wondered if Ron and her knew each other too well, but they were best friends (and a little more) so this kind of thing was unavoidable. She was about to suggest they jet for now, and wait for Wade to update them when- ***Beep-beep-be-beep* **trilled the screen next to her.

"Wade?" She asked unsure at the TV that was emitting her standard ring tone.

"Rigged up the network to patch the Kimmunicator calls for a while. Handy huh?" He said.

"Wade, that is awesome! Hey buddy, anyway you could hook up the arcade grid to the school system? There's been a couple lunch breaks where I figured I could uh-back to the situation at hand...right Kim?" Ron backpedaled.

Wade winked at Ron before continuing his report. "Guys, bad news, I got a massive reading from the cell detention ward! It was the cell Agent Alpha was being locked in, and from the readings they match the ones I recorded from Dementor's teleportation device. I think Alpha managed to port something right into GJ headquarters."

Kim and Ron both exchanged worried glances. "Doesn't that thing only work with phone lines?" Kim asked at last.

"Yah, that's the way his tech worked, but it seems like somehow they've got some kind of upgraded wireless phone tech inside Agent Alpha's body. He accepted a call, and that gave them the coordinates to beam whatever it is straight in past the defenses."

Kim made a face. "Okay, _way_ gorchy imagery aside what's wrong? Aren't there like, a hundred agents or more guarding this place?"

"There are, but half of them are tied up tending to the injured, or trying to get the systems back up and running. The whole base is a mess right now and they weren't expecting this." Wade told her grimly.

"Uh guys, as great as all this is... what the heck did they transport in here?" Ron ventured for the first time in the conversation.

"I'm not sure, the light from the teleport messed with the cameras so I didn't get any pictures, but the Director was asking for back up and she mentioned Gemini. So it's got to be bad."

"The head honcho of WEE himself huh?" Ron said rubbing his chin.

"So this was all a ruse, to get Alpha into the base. Just so he could teleport something into GJ?" Kim said with disappointment. As far as villain schemes it was pretty lame. Dangerous, but lame.

"It looks that way, but it could still be major trouble if left unchecked. If they wanted to, they could start a full out war right here in the heart of the enemy camp by moving in mass." Wade warned.

"Any idea how it got past all the defensive stuff GJ has set up over the base?" Kim asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's that ventilation shaft Dementor was messing around with. They could have reasonably teleported into the transport tube tunnels, but the heart of GJ has much stronger energy defenses. I'm guessing they left behind something to tamper with that." Wade reasoned.

"Okay, here's the plan. Ron, you and Rufus go to the transport tube, find whatever present they left behind and get rid of it. I'll go backup Director Betty at the cell, and we'll meet up as soon as we're done." Kim said laying it out.

"Yes ma'm!" Her boyfriend said with a salute before running off.

* * *

**Detention Cell C**

GJ's arch nemesis could feel another outburst of laughter swelling up within him. He should have done this years ago! Granted, the technology wasn't available, but the sensation of crushing his foes in person! It had been too long, much too long.

Agents hastily scrambled backwards as they struggled from being flattened by the huge fists of _whatever _it was they were fighting.

"DIRECTOR! NONE OF OUR WEAPONS ARE HITTING THIS THING. WHATEVER ARMOR IT HAS, IT'S ABSORBING THE HITS! WE NEED BIGGER GUNS" The squad leader screamed into his com unit over the din of continuous fire.

"Keep...***kscht***... it. ***Kssch* **on i...ay!" He caught through another show of sparks and yelling.

"Alright MEN! We're going to back up until we get to the entrance! We're leading this bastard there where we can concentrate our fire!"

Even as he gave the order, he wondered what he could do if nothing was working. The monster had already taken out a few agents with giant sweeps of it's arms, sending them crumpling into the walls. The ground shook as it continued to advance, almost invisible due to the heavy concentration of laser attacks hitting it.

* * *

Ron raced at top speed to the transport chamber. Somehow despite not knowing how, he could feel bad vibes. There wasn't a noticeable sign like the explosions earlier, but something just as bad was happening. He stepped it up with Wade lighting up doors and lights to guide him.

"Rufus, run ahead if you can and see if you can find that UPS thing." He asked once they were close enough to see the room.

Rufus was riding on his shoulder, nodded smartly before jumping off and scampering up the transport chamber.

Ron arrived scant seconds later breathing hard. He barely had time to check on his naked friend, when there was another blinding flash of white light. A sizzling smell of burnt air and suddenly the transport tube platform was brimming with henchmen.

Skidding back quickly, Ron pointed his finger at them while looking behind trying to buy time. "You guys need clearance for that. Invitations only, Director Betty won't be pleased when I tell her you've been using their transport tubes for joyrides!"

The henchmen looked at each other before shrugging, and flicked on their staffs. The crackling arcs of energy, coupled with the dull hum of power did nothing to reassure the blonde.

"Now guys, uh... we can talk this out!" He said slowly, backing away before bumping into the control platform and jabbing random switches. "C'mon transport tube activate! C'mon, c'mon..."

Seeing the struggling teen "the muscle" traded knowing smiles. They were about to step out when they noticed the younger figure strapped to the boy's chest reach out with a finger to jab a button herself.

* * *

Wade was busy monitoring things when he noticed a weird glitch in the global justice system. One of the service transport pads had gone spastic.

That was the very pad where the signal was coming from. He signed on in a hurry, worried that something had happened to Ron or Rufus.

Moments later, he was actually surprised. "Uh guys...what's going on with the pad?"

_A whoosh of compressed air._

"Oh, hey Wade! Glad you could make the party." Ron said with a waggle of his eyebrows. Rufus is still grabbing the chip thingamajig. It seems Gemini may have decided to crash the party with some extra guests."

_A scream that turned into a low keening noise._

"And by "guests" you mean 4 squads of goons."

_Another compression of air punctuated with grunts and shifting bodies._

"Calls em' like I sees them dude. They're lobbying for uhm... decorative will enforcers, or something.. kinda missed out on the whole worker's union pep talk once they turned on the glowy sticks." Ron said unapologetic.

_Another silent hum of immense weight being lifted at great speed._

"And I'm guessing someone pushed a button." Wade said with a grin.

_A sliding hiss as the teleport pad landed again before rocketing back up._

"Someone may have indeed pushed a glowing white button. They're _almost_ as satisfying as the glowing red ones." Ron said with an answering grin.

"Well, I'll leave you Stoppables in charge of the uh- GJ teleport pad stress test. Tell me when Rufus comes back out with the device."

"You got it Wade." A cheerful nod his last image before the screen closed.

"Hana looked extra happy." Wade chuckled to himself. Then looked around his room at all the delicate, priceless tech, covered with buttons...

_She can never enter the Fortress of Wade._

* * *

WHAM! The harsh slam ended with a thud and a cry of pain. A distinct meaty sound of flesh hitting walls and leaving an impression (both the body and the wall) lasted, before it was covered by the sound of laser fire.

Gemini couldn't be more pleased. It was working out beautifully. Crushing them in person, he should have done this years ago.

His hand turned into a scoop with a thought, and redirected a blast aimed at his head back towards his attackers. The fool was too busy looking surprised to dodge, taking a laser blast to the chest propelling him forcefully into another squad of agents.

"C'mon BETTY! IS THIS THE BEST YOU CAN DO?" He bellowed, knowing they were monitoring him.

"SENDING LACKEYS TO DO A DIRECTOR'S JOB?" He ranted, temporarily ignoring the pests shooting at him.

He lunged forward to the comforting feeling of muscles not entirely human (or his own) bursting with power. In conjunction with suit technology stolen from cheerleader herself, amplifying his powers twofold, and today would be the day he would triumph. He thought ignoring the growing headache. _Once and for all I will be the favoured child, they __**will**__ acknowledge me!_

He idly admired the glowing white material that stretched to accommodate his form, with the blue bands of power, even as he used it to decimate another squad of agents. Though it was incomplete, Dementor had promised 60% functioning capabilities, identical to the one the annoying brat possessed.

He laughed again, scooping up 2 men at a time and throwing them with ease. A reflective glowing blue shield blocked more incoming laser fire, and he charged forward scattering them like bowling pins.

"Utterly pathetic."

He spat with derision at the downed members of GJ lying around him. He was about to start breaking walls for the sheer joy of it, when a pleasant female voice interrupted his spree.

"I wouldn't talk Gemini. Not when you've got to outsource parts of your -it is still "your"right_?_- evil plan. If you can't cut it anymore it might be time to walk out peacefully, or-" and here she struck a pose as she landed _"-have a seat."_

She made a come hither motion drawing attention to let the wounded retreat. Behind her confident grin she was worried. There was no mistaking the design of the suit Gemini was wearing, and that raised the troubling question of just how they had managed to get their hands on the designs. She couldn't possibly imagine that Wade had been hacked, but had little idea of what other explanation there could be for her foe sporting her gear. 

_Table it Kim, deal with the sitch and wonder later. _

A flash of red and she'd fired a line over his head, swinging over the behemoth in one smooth motion. ***WHAM*** Or that's what should have happened, had Gemini not brought his defensive shields up, just in time to clip her as she was about to land behind him. She went flying into a wall jerked to a halt by the cable. Rolling to brace herself, she groaned lightly and got to her feet.

"That's new." She muttered.

Retracting the cable she holstered it again. Whatever Gemini had done to himself, (_and it's clear he did quite a lot)_ it had given him hair trigger reflexes and speed, to say nothing about the enhancing properties of the suit.

_Wish I could remember what Wade said about the power support for that thing. Was it two or three days of operational time on a full charge? _She wondered distracted.

Gemini was smiling in a sinister way and rapidly closed in on her. She'd hoped the narrow corridor would limit his reach, but she was being rapidly hemmed in by the blue shields he deployed. Thinking quickly, she scanned the ceiling for-there! She brought out her trusty hair dryer and aimed at him this time.

Gemini looked unamused.

"It has been gratifying to see Kim Possible reduced to a joke, but I really do not have time for games." He growled even as another shimmering blue light enveloped his form.

"If you want to take me down, you'll need more than some pretty lights Gemini." Kim told him, even as she aimed slightly above his shielded form and fired.

With a loud bang, the grapple flew up, piercing the lights, causing a shower of sparks and electricity to rain down on the shielded figure. The teen braced, wrenching hard, and pulled down some more glass as well as a mass of live wires that would have electrocuted anyone unlucky enough to come into contact with them. 

_Thank you Wade, for electricity resistant rubber gloves._ Fortunately for Gemini, his shield continued to work, although it flickered rapidly trapping him in place.

Kim didn't waste any time, knowing the electricity wouldn't stop him for long. She ran towards the nearest wall and kick flipped off it, reaching for a nearby ceiling tile that had been knocked loose during the previous fight. In a blink of an eye, she was up and in, making her way through the air ducts. Below, she heard the angry roar of Gemini as he noticed her disappearance.

_Relax Gemini, we've still got a dance left. _ She formulated the rest of her plan as she crawled, roughly making mental calculations for how much further she needed to go.

Once she was reasonably sure she was in the right area she kicked down hard, popping the tile and dropping through the new exit. Rolling quickly into a defensive crouch as she landed. Just like she'd hoped, she was at the entrance of the corridor at the far end away from Gemini.

"Gemini! Global Justice couldn't be bothered to handle you, since they've got _real_ problems to deal with. _I_ can tell, because Global Justice doesn't have their top agent on it, and we'd all know if GJ's top guy was here." Kim yelled out loudly, trying to get his attention over the racket.

Gemini heard her over the crackling of live wires and his own shields. With every word his headache and anger seemed to triple until he started to see red. With an inhuman growl, he whirled around to attack the source of his irritation.

Kim had expected the rival organizations name to make him angry, but somehow the level of hostility being thrown her way was... unprecedented. Gemini's face was a mask of contorted animal fury. He was quite literally growling at her... _and all that's missing is some foam at the mouth. _

Kim couldn't help but backpedal slowly away, before she remember what she needed to do. 

_Okay Possible, you've got him mad and focused on you...even if it is a little more animalistic than you'd expected. _Somehow she could hear Ron chime in. _Don't look now KP, but it seems like you've got some common ground with the bad guy... you both really don't like Du. Maybe you could bond, start an anti-fan club for GJ's numero uno agent._

Kim gave a harried sigh even as she felt her anxiety dull down. _Okay, so Gemini got a little angrier, still doesn't mean I'm not taking him down. _In fact, she was pretty sure she could turn this new rage into an advantage.

Edging back deliberately now and acting on a hunch, Kim waved her hairdryer at him. "You know I'd be utterly ashamed to be compared to my sister if I were you. I mean look at Global Justice and look at WWE." Gemini snarled and snapped at the mention of the rival agency.

Some memory tried to emerge, but Kim couldn't spare any attention. Gemini had sped up, rapidly approaching with earth pounding strides. She waited, arms crossed with a disdainful sneer, doing her best to channel Bonnie. "Global Justice-" She began even as Gemini made a prodigious leap, arms outstretched and teeth bared. She nimbly ducked out of the way, helping him to his date with the wall with a well aimed boot to the head.

Another back flip brought her out of immediate range, and she continued like he hadn't tried to maul her. "-for instance has much better facilities. The last time you kidnapped Ron, I remember my tour of WWE. For an organization priding itself on international villainy..." she trailed off like she was embarrassed for him. "Take for instance, the Global Justice gym." She continued walking at a measured pace even as she kept her eye on him.

Gemini was struggling to control himself. There was something wrong...but it was so hard to think, with the white hot rage choking out rational thought. The headache also seemed to be growing worse, and the impact with the wall (while only stunning him) did not help. The Possible girl was taunting him, and as her words got through another blast of anger wiped out any more thought.

Gemini seemed to shake himself off, before his head snapped up and he focused his gaze on her. In another beat he was on all fours and springing at the cheerleader. Kim lead him on a chase throughout the halls of GJ, keeping one step ahead of the raging monster by the narrowest of margins. Only her cheerleader reflexes and knowledge of the base layout helped her stay out of reach. When he tried to break away, she was quick to throw in a jab about GJ and his own attempts at world domination. Soon they had reached the spot, and she quickly slipped in once she was sure he saw her.

Seconds later the doors were blasted open with terrible force as two large meaty hands punched through them. Gemini took one side and flung it at her with a howl. She sidestepped out of the way, hair wafting lightly from the passing object. The crash echoed in the large open space of the gym.

"What's the matter Gemini, can't take the truth about you and Global Justice?" She said the last two words with deliberate slowness. Gemini was panting and slavering, but he still howled and gnashed his teeth at her.

"That's okay, we'll put you through your paces here. Who knows? Maybe your results will be enough to get GJ to take you seriously." She grinned at him, even as she vaulted over his streaking form sending him crashing to the ground. Kim gave a quick prayer of thanks that he seemed too enraged to use the more advanced tech in the suit.

Kim raced over to the command centre and hit the button for the training simulation to start. Gemini seemed momentarily paralysed by the loud klaxxons and flashing lights signalling the start of a trial run. Still, the bang and her voice was enough to draw his attention back to her. She swung through the air to land on the finish line at the far end of the course. "Here boy! I'll give you a Global Justice treat if you beat Du's time." She yelled waving lazily.

Gemini howled and leapt.

CRASH*

Skittering wildly on the surface of the training floor Gemini whipped his head around. Searching. Animal senses focused on pinpointing the source of that wretched noise.

Through the haze of red rage that was filtered by "Global Justice" Gemini howled throwing his head back. He could feel the powerful flex of his form, the sheer crystal sharp clarity of the world around him. Especially, the sense of enhanced smell.

She wouldn't be able to hide or dodge much longer. She was already starting to slow down, and then he'd wring her neck with his jaws. His animal mind already hearing the satisfying **CRACK** that would signal the end of the annoying pest.

Hackles rising he threw himself at the red blob.

_By this point I should be used to it, but can I just spare a moment to say Eughhh dog slobber_? The teen groused dodging another lightning fast hurl.

It was scant inches that kept her from being plastered full on by a mouthful of psycho saliva as Gemini howled by.

Any levity at the situation though she kept off her face. While she wanted Gemini enraged she didn't want him to go completely berserk. This kind of animal rage kept him focused on her and not much else which made it easy to dodge what would have been bone crushing charges. She was worried at any rate that if he got any angrier he'd get hard to direct.

Spotting another wall that looked nice and solid she dove to the floor and executed a tight set of handsprings to put her in place. Keeping her eyes on her opponent she held up both hands and did her best babysitter voice for Mrs. Adlers adorable 5 year old.

"_Whose a good boy? You are? Yes, you are!" _Kim falsetto'd at the homicidal monster.

Clearly, this pacified Gemini. He rushed to show her what a good boy he was (preferably with his teeth).

Kim neatly leaped up in an incredible vertical hop that cleared the majority of his bulk and executed another bread and butter handspring giving the back of Gemini's head a solid kick to reward him.

She rolled away and sprung back up ready for action a good 10 feet away.

She was slightly impressed to see the cracks on the wall. Gemini certainly seemed to be emitting some pained whimpers when he could be bothered to make any noises.

Shaking his head like he was trying to dry off, Gemini could only feel incredible signals of pain coming from his nose. There was a throbbing stomach churning sensation whenever he twitched his nose that threatened to send him whimpering back. In a haze of pain he fought to orient himself, his senses that had been augmented by heightened smell now a liability.

He swiped in front of him feverishly hoping to catch the teen not realizing she was beyond his reach.

Kim sensed weakness and decided to capitalize on it. She reached down to whip out the lipstick goop and blasted Gemini with a steady stream of super strength adhesive. That was what was supposed to happen. Unfortunately, her shade of cherry blossom pink merely nudged itself out a little.

"Wha-" Kim barely had time to gasp before a flailing paw swipe caught her across her midsection sending her reeling back.

Five traces of liquid fire formed along her torso where the elongated nails of Gemini had tore at her. Every breath brought a new sharp pain echoing down her torso. Gritting her teeth, Kim wondered if maybe Wade had a point about the protective covering for her torso.

_Lucky, he was just thrashing or this would have been deeper._ She berated herself mentally. _He still seems disoriented. That was stupid, Possible. Why did you think you'd be safe and free of the need for all your gear in Global Justice?_

With shaking hands she put back the lipstick and tore at her sleeves to wrap around the wounds. They weren't crippling by any means, but they bled freely, and that would mean Gemini would have an easier time tracking her once the shock of the pain wore away. She needed to take him down before he got that chance.

Sucking in a breath (and ignoring the hitch when she did) Kim started thinking of a plan.

* * *

Rufus hopped out of the hole with a silver blue piece of tech between his paws. Ron was quick to reach down and relieve his partner of his burden. Another short trip from the floor to his cargo pant pocket and the Team Possible squad was ready to go.

"Wade Rufus got the thingamajiggy. Where's Kim?"

"Good work guys, I've hacked the security and Kim's having a training exercise with Gemini. High difficulty level." Wade told him as he directed Ron to the training grounds.

"Like Kim knows any other setting." Scoffed Ron. "So what's the deal? Gemini's a pushover, or maybe a push_under_?" He crowed.

*Crickets*

"I've had a stressful day okay?" The blonde whined looking embarrassed.

"Terrible puns aside, I think Kim could use a hand. I've been helping by manipulating the training settings. Gemini's gone and gotten himself a rip-off battle suit, and if the readings from the machines are accurate some kind of genetic manipulation."

"Definite hardcore level." Ron agreed minutes away from the training facility.

"Kim had a moment, so she told me her plan. Here's what I want you to do-"

Gemini lunged for the nth time. It had long since ceased to be anything other than a trained response. Any whiff of the girl's scent or sound and he'd barrel forth arms outstretched. The smell of her blood had galvanized him into a minor frenzy. The misses were getting nearer. The trade off being he ended up crumbling into a wall or pillar that hadn't been there a second ago.

It certainly didn't help that she was constantly leaping from raised platform to platform, keeping up a steady stream of jibes and laser fire from a pistol she had picked up.

While she hadn't managed to do any damage, Gemini could feel in some remote corner of his mind that he was getting tired. The animalistic hate had given way to a kind of weary resistance and dogged determination that was bleeding him dry. There was something weird with his body. Micro shivers and random spasms of his muscles were hampering his speed and actions. Something was terribly wrong, but the confusion and haze in his mind was slow to leave.

Even as he managed to think of this, a new voice cut into his thoughts broadcasted into the stadium (and around the base) that was vaguely familiar.

"Welcome to our latest show! The X-games experimental division. I'm your host Rooonnn Stopppable! Your contestant today is the well known division leader: Kimberly Possible! She's competing in the Bust-a-Baddy trials aiming for a top time and a shot at the gold. Sources tell me contestant Possible has chosen the fairly easy WWE Gemini stage, but with difficulty factors including a gene mod, and a battle suit modifier. Judges tell me this is a respectable course difficulty, though the wicked Shego course ranks up higher. I'll be co-hosting with my fellow MC's Rufus and The Han." Following this introduction a light scuffling noise is heard.

What little sense he can bring to focus indicates the female is laughing. He growls.

"And finally a word from our sponsors-" this is followed by an energetic chirp "Glowal Juice!"

Around the base, the various members collectively known as Global Justice gets their one and only entertainment/training video. (It stays at the top for a relatively long period of time being requested by new cadets and training seminars to be replaced later – by other videos also starring the subject of this one. None of them have the voice overs by her partners though, and so this one remains something of a gem in the (eventual) long library of Team Possible related training vids.)

"A perfectly executed dismount off the face with a tangle trick using the cables. That will be a high score folks!" The excitement in the voice coupled with the screen vids is enough to get some good nature clapping and cheering from the crew.

_The Director looks stern but finally just relaxes and watches, toggling her master control to record._

"Notice how she's using the full arena, that kind of versatility and full usage of the available areas is sure to do well with the judges. Ooh good use of the pithole Ki-contestant Possible."

_Will grits his teeth and a nurse stops by to see if he needs a sedative when his heart rate rockets._

"And holy-nachoes! She's-she's actually going for it folks! I think we're going to see contestant Possible attempt an impossible trick- this will be huge people, if she pulls it off!"

_Wade also has his devices set to record. He's not sure what he'll do with this but he feels like it'll come in handy at some point._

"-Ooh close shave. She's going to lose some points for that slip there, but- no! She's gotten onto his back! He's swinging folks, but can he dislodge her?" Ron is really selling it now, almost as into it as the rest of the cadets.

_Gemini is whirling dervish of snapping teeth and claws. He can feel her on him and try as he might he can't seem to-_

"NO! He's on all fours! She's tripped him up! It's a perfect 4.0 hogtied villain plus a smashed his own face in flourish! A first here at the Villaim X-games! History in the making folks."

_Kim shrugs, reaches down and using the pistol charge disables the suit before heading out. _

"That was an inspiring performance by contestant Possible. I think a gold medal is definitely in the works. Let's see what the judges have to say."

Instantly, (via Wade) screens come up of Rufus, Hana, Director Betty, and Will.

"We've got two 10's from my esteemed colleagues, an Excellent Job from the chairman, and finally a..." a note of confusion and relief in Ron's voice "acceptable from our last judge."

Strangled yelps from the cadets at this last announcement.

"Anyway, while we tally up the scores we're going to commercial. Enjoy, Gemi!"

_A second after he says that the recovering Gemini is bombarded with projections of every person from Global Justice (and a few additions) in holographic form with a message right out of a recruitment drive. "Welcome to Global Justice."_

_Gemini seems to freeze at this continuous loop of "Global Justice's" being repeated ad infinity by a legion of people._

_The people who are still paying attention to the video notice a tic developing in one side of his face, even as the face in question changes color. Just as it seems like he's about to tear the room apart Gemini falls over. What comes out as he's twitching uncontrollably on the floor isn't a howl, so much as it is a whine of a very sick, very hurt dog._

_This time there is foam._

* * *

"Thanks again Miss Possible, and to you Mister Stoppable." There is a warm salute at the end of that, returned by the two teens.

They are both thrilled when she reaches down to shake the hands of both Rufus and Hana. "Rufus, Miss. Stoppable." She looks at the young Asian girl critically for a moment, as if evaluating her future in GJ. Ron noticeably cools.

The Director shakes her head to clear something (although to outsiders she merely shifts her neck a little).

"Once again, Global Justice is happy you were here, and may I once again extend our offer to join Global Justice in a more permanent fashion?" She smiles knowing what their answer will be.

"We're honored, but I think we'll stick with our current thing for now Director. I kind of enjoy having my own say." The talented young woman tells her. The Director can't help but wonder how long such smooth sailing will last for this incredible group.

Ron just waggles his eyebrows at her and grins, getting Hana to wave back as well. "What the Chief says, Doc. Give us a holler when you need Kim for anything though." With that, the group of the youngest and arguably brightest hopes for the future that Director Betty knew vanished into the wide world above.

She turned around to see most of the crew hastening away, knowing full well they had stuck around to say goodbye to what was for at least a few idols and crushes.

Where they couldn't see she rolled her prosthetic eye up.

_Secret Agents._

* * *

Outside of the Director's office Will stopped briefly, a touch to his side (and a brief wince at the twinge) before straightening his uniform and entering with his shoulders straight. He'd go in with his head held high, determined to look the part if nothing else.

The cool hiss of the doors closing behind him made him uncomfortable, another disquieting realization amongst the many he'd had today. He made his way over and stood at attention – the director still signing a form without looking up to greet him.

"Agent Du," she started without looking up "do you know why I called you here?" she asked.

He thought about answering and settled instead for a simple "No Ma'am"

She nodded along with something, perhaps more to do with the paper than his answer. "Today was a disaster. The structural damage can be fixed, but the personnel who have to be rotated out of active duty is... considerable."

He gritted his teeth, but besides clenching his fists a little tighter he only nodded. "I apologi-"

She held up a hand to cut him off. "I didn't call you in to hear apologies Will. I called you in to ask for your help." Then she looked up at him for the first time since he entered.

He was shocked by how tired she allowed herself to look. Then shocked by the casual-almost conversational use of his name. "Of course Director, if there's anything I can do." Despite the situation, he felt his spirit rising at the thought of being trusted with greater responsibility.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. So I will be direct. Will you need to accept that there is a good chance Kimberly Possible will be running Global Justice someday."

"Director! You can't be serious?" He lashed out without thinking.

"Do you see a problem with that Agent Du?" She continued flatly. It had the effect of cutting through the anger and Will mentally pulled back to give a more rational assessment.

"She is an amateur, capable yes, but hardly qualified to take on the responsibilities of handling a global operation such as Global Justice. She is a loose cannon! A reckless civilian! I would be-" He all but spat.

"Indeed, you raise several valid points Agent Du. However, should Miss Possible be given GJ training, and provided she passes... what then?" The director asked calmly.

"she lacks experien-"

"Easily gained, and her own missions give her a unique perspective that might prove beneficial. I hear she operates on a financial basis unthinkable even for a small operation. Funding might be an issue of the past with Possible at the helm." _ I should actually have financial figure out the exact cost/ratio for her missions._

"Furthermore, Agent Du I will tell you now, that you could be the head of Global Justice. You have that potential but you will never become the Director as you are now."

Will looked crushed, almost staring at the floor before catching himself and wrenching back up to meet her steady gaze.

The director held her hand up as if to count. "You possess many gifts Agent Du, you are an excellent field agent, highly trained, educated by the best and brightest, all of these qualities makes you ideally suited to be an agent." She saw him look a little less despondent at this recital.

"It also makes you proud, confident in your abilities, but it limits your ability to deal with others. You top the records as the best. Which in turn alienated those you could rely on, or who would support you. Only your talent and drive has kept that from being a problem." She sighed.

"I work hard for the sake of Global Justice-"

"You do, but you do it for yourself. Ambition will get you up the ladder Agent Du, lord knows I've dealt with my share of politicians more interested in power and influence than fighting the important fights. I trust my judgement though, I do not believe you are that kind of man." _...yet_

His chest inflated.

"What you cannot do is work in a team, you cannot bend. Those who cannot bend, cannot lead." She took a moment to see how he would take this.

When it was clear he could offer no response she dismissed him. "Will, there is a difference between honing and growing. Perhaps you could look on Kim Possible as... competition. In all respects."

Will saw her turning around to finish paperwork as the door closed behind him.

* * *

_Omake A:_

Off Duty Hours 0300

Gym Facility – Training Course

The euro-asian man stood at the centre of the course idly playing with his wristwatch. On a whim he spoke into it. "Display course records."

Up on the display, in the centre of the room neon orange lights flashed once, flickering letters and numbers forming. 5 courses started with the letters K before moving down and being replaced by W's as the list continued scrolling.

A grin that was bitter... or maybe resigned.

"Competition? Well... at least I have a clue where to begin." The agent walked back over to the starting line and began prepping. It was a start.

* * *

_Omake B_:

**LOGIN:**

Accessing Files Database: Record Logs -0230011#A9-COD#9A03D

**Searching Files: -**

Subdirectory – Latest and Archived Logs

Record logs: 01300 – 01500 – 01600

**Delete Files? Y/N**

**Requesting User code and Password:** *******DD *****************

Access Granted... loading

**Import files from database?**

Replace logs -0230011#A9-COD#9A03D? Y/N

Refreshing Database...

**LOGOUT**

* * *

_Omake C_:

***Beep-beep-be-beep***

"So Kim what'dya say we- Kim?"

"Huh?"

"Something up? Another mission?"

"Oh it's nothing. Just checking something Wade sent me."

"Ah, well anyway-"

* * *

**Preview:**

"You do it!" "Why should I?" "One of us has to!"

"My Kim, that's a delightful shade of embarrassment you're wearing..."

"Kimmycub, it's like...uh-" anxious rubbing of the back of the head, "a pat on the head! Yep, that's right!"

"Look Hana, this is going to hurt me more than you..."

* * *

_Authors Note:_

_Yeesh it's been awhile. I've been sitting on half of this chapter for at least the better part of the year, and I swear nothing would happen. Here's hoping the next chapter isn't such a pain. Anyway hope you enjoyed it, and apologies for leaving it on a cliffhanger for so long. Let's be honest though... I wasn't going to hurt Hana (yet). Anyway like I mentioned to one reviewer bonus points to anyone who can pick out who/what Gemini spliced himself with. _

_Until next time._


End file.
